GivebearKiosks and devices
Register, monitor, and configure in-person giving kiosks from the dashboard.
Use the dashboard to manage the kiosks your team runs in person. You register devices, watch their status, change their settings, and send remote commands. The kiosk app itself handles the giving flow at the device.
Open your dashboard and go to the Kiosks section to start.
This page covers the admin side in the dashboard. For setting up the kiosk app and running it in the lobby, see the kiosk guides.
Where to go next
Setup and pairing
Day-to-day operations
Reader modes and Tap to Pay
Offline payments
Troubleshooting
Find your kiosks
The Kiosks page lists every device registered to your organization. At the top you see counts for total kiosks, kiosks online now, readers ready, and kiosks that need attention.
To narrow the list:
- Search by name, location, or device ID.
- Filter by All, Online, Offline, or Attention.
- Sort by name, recently seen, or recently added.
A kiosk shows as online when it has checked in within the last five minutes.
Each card shows the kiosk name, connection state, card reader state, access state, location, when it was last seen, and its device ID. Select View to open a kiosk, or use the copy button to copy its device ID.
Offline alerts
When a kiosk has not checked in for 30 minutes, Givebear emails your organization's contact email (set under Settings > General) a Kiosk offline alert with the kiosk name, location, and last-seen time. You get one email per outage; the alert resets when the kiosk syncs again. Suspended, revoked, and never-paired kiosks are not alerted on.
If the kiosk took card payments while offline, its card and its page show gifts waiting to sync with the count and amount. Those gifts are stored on the tablet until it reconnects, so do not wipe, reset, or replace the kiosk while that label is showing.
Register a kiosk
You need the Register devices permission. You also need the device ID, which the kiosk app shows on screen.
Select Register kiosk at the top of the Kiosks page.
Enter the device ID from the kiosk app. It must be a valid device ID, or the form will not continue.
Give the kiosk a name. Add a location if it helps your team tell devices apart.
Select Connect device to finish. The kiosk appears in your list right away.
The kiosk locks itself to a secure credential the first time it connects. Until then, its security state reads Awaiting connection.
For the full pairing walkthrough on the device side, see setup and pairing.
See how a kiosk is performing
Open a kiosk and stay on the Insights tab. Pick a date range of 7, 30, or 90 days, or all time.
You see the total raised, the number of donations, and the average donation for that period. Below that is a donation history chart and a list of recent in-person donations.
In-person gifts also flow into your finance reports. See donations and finance.
Configure a kiosk
Open a kiosk and select the Configuration tab. You need the Configure devices permission.
Basic settings
- Label: rename the kiosk.
- Brightness: set a fixed screen brightness, or leave it on Auto.
- Release channel: choose Production for normal use. Use Dev only when asked to test.
- Card reader: Auto-detect (default), USB reader, or Built-in NFC. Auto-detect uses the kiosk's own Tap to Pay when the device qualifies and the wired reader otherwise. See reader modes and Tap to Pay.
Select Save changes to apply. The kiosk picks up the new settings on its next sync, usually within a minute.
Kiosk experiences
Choose what this kiosk offers: donations, event tickets, memberships, or self check-in. With one experience on, the kiosk opens straight into it. With several on, visitors pick from a menu. At least one experience must stay enabled.
For self check-in, see check-in and reporting.
Home screen widgets
The kiosk splash always taps through to donation. The widgets only decorate it. On the Configuration tab you can:
- Skip the splash so this kiosk lands on donation directly.
- Override the organization home screen with a custom layout for this one kiosk.
Set the default home screen
To change the home screen for every kiosk at once, select Home screen at the top of the Kiosks page. Arrange the widgets, then Save changes. Each kiosk uses this layout unless it has its own override.
Send a command to a kiosk
On the Configuration tab, use the Commands grid to act on a device remotely. You need the Send device commands permission. Available commands include:
- Reboot the device or restart only the card reader.
- Check for and install app updates.
- Apply the saved brightness.
- Send logs, report status, or collect a debug snapshot.
- Return the kiosk to its home screen.
- Take a screenshot of the current screen.
Commands are queued and run the next time the kiosk checks in, not instantly. A queued command shows in the Active commands banner, where you can cancel it while it is still pending.
When app updates install
The kiosk installs an available app update only when nobody is using it: no touch for a while, the resting screen showing, and no card payment in flight. Optional updates also wait for a quiet moment, either between 10 PM and 6 AM local time or after ten minutes of unbroken rest, so a kiosk that is powered off overnight still updates during a daytime lull. Mandatory updates (when the running version is below the minimum Givebear still supports) skip that wait. A failed install retries on its own with growing delays for about two hours, then waits for a restart or a manual retry.
Check the screen and logs
The Configuration tab shows the most recent screenshot in the Screen panel. Select the camera button to capture a fresh one.
For deeper detail, open the Logs tab. Filter by priority (info, warning, error, or debug) and by source (terminal, reader, remote action, or sync engine). Logs refresh on their own and you can page through them.
Unlock a kiosk
When staff need to leave the kiosk's locked mode, select the lock button on a kiosk card to open Unlock device. It shows a one-time code that refreshes every 60 seconds. Read it to the person at the device.
If that code fails, choose the emergency static key as a fallback. You need the Configure devices permission to view unlock codes.
Reconnect a kiosk
If a kiosk loses its connection or you replace hardware, open the Configuration tab and select Refresh credentials in the Security panel. The kiosk picks up the new credential on its next check-in.
Remove a kiosk
You need the Remove devices permission. On a kiosk card, select the delete button and confirm. To remove several at once, use Select, choose the kiosks, then Delete in the action bar.
Who can manage devices
Access follows your organization roles and permissions. The device permissions are:
- View devices: see the Kiosks list and a kiosk's details.
- Register devices: add a new kiosk.
- Configure devices: change settings, home screens, unlock codes, and credentials.
- Remove devices: delete a kiosk.
- Send device commands: run remote commands.
Grant these only to staff who handle physical devices or event-day operations. To manage roles, see settings, roles, and billing.