Kiosk Problems

Overview

A kiosk has exactly three moving parts — the tablet's session, the rotating code on its screen, and the worker's phone completing the scan — and every kiosk problem lives in one of them. This article walks each.

1. Pairing problems (the tablet's session)

• Passcode rejected — the 6-digit pairing passcode is single-use and shown once at creation. Used, expired, or lost passcodes aren't recoverable: regenerate from the kiosk's page in the console and pair with the fresh one.
• Locked after failed attempts — repeated wrong entries lock pairing (that's the anti-brute-force). Regenerating the passcode resets it.
• Tablet shows the pairing screen out of nowhere — its session was ended: a passcode regeneration or a revoke from the console. Pair again with a fresh passcode; if nobody on your team did it, treat it as a security question first.

2. The code on screen

• Screen blank or code frozen — the rotating code needs the tablet online. Check the tablet's Wi-Fi/data, then the kiosk app; the code resumes rotating once connectivity returns.
• "Suspended" on screen — deliberate, from the console (maintenance, site closed). Resume from the kiosk's page.
• "Check-in is currently disabled" — the kiosk is told only that check-in is off, never why, so it can't show the reason. It is one of three: your plan no longer includes site check-in, your organisation's subscription is past due, suspended or has lapsed, or PreStartGo has disabled the account. The screen returns to the code by itself once that changes; check Billing first.
• Scans of a photographed/shared code fail — by design. Codes are single-use and rotate continuously; only the live code on the physical screen works.

3. The worker's scan

The kiosk shows the code; the worker's phone completes the check-in — so a healthy kiosk with failing scans points at the phone side:

• "Code invalid" mid-scan — the code rotated during a slow scan; scan the current one.
• No SMS verification code — the worker's phone number or coverage; same diagnostics as any sign-in SMS issue.
• Walk-up turned away — the site doesn't allow walk-in registration; the site team grants access first, or enables walk-ins. Working as configured.
• Blocked with a named requirement — an outstanding induction or toolbox talk; the message names it. See Site Inductions and Toolbox Talks.
• Location refused — check-in requires the phone's position; the worker enables location for the browser and retries.

Lost or stolen tablet

Revoke the kiosk immediately from its console page — the session dies server-side and the device can never check anyone in again. Revoking touches no worker's account; a replacement tablet pairs with a fresh passcode in minutes. See Setting Up a Kiosk.

Troubleshooting