Square KDS compatible tablets

The hardware question comes before the software one: what can you actually put on the wall? Small KDS runs on ordinary tablets, so in most kitchens the answer is the screen already sitting behind the counter.

Get the app Manage account

Photo: Vagaro

What the app actually needs

There is no certified hardware list and no approved-device program. These are the only requirements, and most tablets bought in the last several years clear all of them.

Operating system

Android 8 or newer, iPadOS 15 or newer, or Amazon Fire TV via the Amazon Appstore.

Network

Wi-Fi that reaches the kitchen. Orders come from your Square account over the internet, so the screen has to stay online to stay current.

Power

Mains power. A kitchen display is on for the whole of service, so plan a socket or a powered mount rather than running it down on battery.

Storage

Very little. The Android package is a few megabytes, which matters on the old spare tablet that is already nearly full.

Screen size

Around 10 inches is the common choice. Bigger is easier to read from the line, smaller works in a food truck where space is the real constraint.

Do you need Square's kitchen hardware?

Not for this. Square sells kitchen display hardware and runs its own KDS app, and both are reasonable if you are already on a paid Square restaurant plan and happy to be billed per device. Small KDS takes the other route: it reads the orders from your Square account and puts them on a screen you already own.

That means no terminal to buy, no lease, and nothing to ship back if you stop. It also means Small KDS is not a point of sale and does not take payment. You keep ringing orders up in Square exactly as you do now. The side by side comparison has the pricing detail.

Choosing a tablet for a kitchen, not an office

• Brightness beats resolution. A dim screen behind a hot pass is unreadable, and no amount of pixel count fixes that.
• Turn off auto-lock and screen timeout. A board that sleeps during a rush is the most common self-inflicted problem with any kitchen display.
• Mount it somewhere it will not get splashed. A clamp or a VESA arm away from the fryer beats a stand parked on the pass.
• Keep a spare in a drawer. Tablets die. A second cheap device costs nothing extra to run, because billing is per location, not per screen.

Adding more screens

Small KDS is priced per Square location rather than per device, so a grill screen, an expo screen and a window screen all sit on the same $10/mo billed annually plan. Install the app on each tablet, sign in with the same Square account, and pick the same location. Every screen shows the same live order queue, so nobody is working from a different list.

Hardware questions, answered