Card Reader Troubleshooting

Overview

Don't let a disconnected card reader slow down your service. Follow this quick guide to get your Stripe M2 reader reconnected to your Otter POS and back to taking payments in minutes.

In this article, you will learn how to:

Reconnect your card reader
Schedule and manage software updates
Manually reset your card reader

Managing Card Reader Updates

Keeping your card reader updated ensures your payments process securely and helps prevent unexpected service interruptions during your busiest hours.

Otter POS will display a warning banner when your card reader requires a software update, and will show a progress indicator while the update is running.

How Card Reader Updates Work:

Automatic Updates: Enabled by default. Scheduled to run at 3:00 AM unless you change the time.
Pending Updates: Run exactly at your configured scheduled time (or within 30 minutes afterward).
Mandatory Updates: Run immediately. These occur when a pending update passes its deadline (usually 5 days). Mandatory updates cannot be postponed or bypassed, and your reader will not be able to accept payments while the update installs.

Check the troubleshooting section below to learn how to check for, manage, and schedule your updates.

Troubleshooting

Card Reader Disconnection.gif

Step	Process	Image
1	Unpair the reader from the Bluetooth settings on the tablet or terminal.
2	Go to the home screen of your device (leave the Otter app).
3	Go to the device Settings.
4	Tap on the Bluetooth settings.
5	Select the card reader and choose Remove.
6	Connect the card reader to a power source. Each tablet or terminal pairs with one card reader at a time The card reader should charge at least 75% (showing three green lights when the button is pressed)
7	Verify the card reader's charge status by ensuring there are at least 3 green lights illuminated on the device.

If your card reader requires an update, follow these steps to install it and configure your future update schedule to prevent interruptions during service.

New Card Readers may also require mandatory updates during first setup.

Reset the M2 card reader by inserting a paperclip into the small hole near the charging port and pressing down.

This action will initiate a reset of the card reader.

Step	Process	Image
1	Navigate to your card reader settings Open your POS and go to Settings → Hardware → Card Reader, or simply tap the warning banner on your main screen.
2	Start the update manually If your store is not currently busy, tap the Update Now button. Card Reader Blocked Your card reader cannot process payments while the update is installing. Please wait for the update to finish completely.
3	Monitor the progress Check the estimated time remaining by looking at the red "Update in progress" block on your checkout screen. Once the banner disappears, your reader is ready to accept payments again.
4	Turn on Automatic Updates To prevent manual updates in the future, ensure the Auto update toggle is turned on in your Card Reader settings.
5	Set a convenient update time Tap the scheduled time (the default is 3:00 AM) and change it to a time when your store is closed. Future updates will automatically run at this time, or within 30 minutes afterward.