Anyone successfully using Zettle with an Android tablet?

[Olzki]

Good morning - I've been using Zettle for just over 5 years now. Generally, couldn't be happier. It's a bit pricier for me than alternatives, but I've yet to find a cheaper one that would work so well on a tablet (my premises is tiny, so I don't have space for a larger PC based EPOS).

When I opened I got an iPad which had got the zettle app installed on it, along with spotify, insta, fb, google drive etc. The battery on the iPad is slowly dying so I want to get a new tablet, but I want to move away from Apple and get an android tablet instead.

I asked Zettle if they could recommend an android tablet, but they couldn't/wouldn't. They could only say that if the android tablet is running software version 9 or higher, it will work. With this information I pottled off to Argos, grabbed an inexpensive Samsung tablet, running software version 11. Unfortunately, having installed the zettle app, turns out that it doesn't work with zettle, and the tablet cannot connect to the card reader.

I'm wondering if anyone on here is currently using zettle with an android tablet, and if so, which one? Has anyone else had problems with a Samsung android tablet connecting to Zettle that they've been able to solve in some way? If anyone could help out, I'd really appreciate it.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[forevergroup]

Forgive me if this is a daft question but is there any particular reason you want to take the path of most resistance and move away from Apple for this?

I understand that iPad is popular for EPOS and it sounds to me like this path is absorbing far more time and effort on your end than the pricing difference of iPad vs Android.

If the vendor cannot / will not confirm compatibility with any particular tablet - even a modern Samsung model - that should tell you all you need to know.

This should also demonstrate to you that, even if you had a working Zettle + Android combination, a vendor software update could then cause disruption.

From Zettle's perspective, it's far easier to focus development support on a concise iPad line than the broad Android ecosystem - where underlying hardware can vary considerably.

Google Play store reviews for Zettle are 3.9 vs 4.7 for the Apple App Store so it's clear that they are better at supporting Apple devices.

A good general rule of thumb is always, always, follow vendor sentiment. Especially for anything mission critical.

 

[Olzki]

Forgive me if this is a daft question but is there any particular reason you want to take the path of most resistance and move away from Apple for this?

I understand that iPad is popular for EPOS and it sounds to me like this path is absorbing far more time and effort on your end than the pricing difference of iPad vs Android.

If the vendor cannot / will not confirm compatibility with any particular tablet - even a modern Samsung model - that should tell you all you need to know.

This should also demonstrate to you that, even if you had a working Zettle + Android combination, a vendor software update could then cause disruption.

From Zettle's perspective, it's far easier to focus development support on a concise iPad line than the broad Android ecosystem - where underlying hardware can vary considerably.

Google Play store reviews for Zettle are 3.9 vs 4.7 for the Apple App Store so it's clear that they are better at supporting Apple devices.

A good general rule of thumb is always, always, follow vendor sentiment. Especially for anything mission critical.

Not a daft question at all - since day one, we've had connection issues between the iPad and the card reader. It loses connection multiple times during the day (maybe 10 to 15 times). It can take anywhere between 2 to 5 minutes to reconnect. At best it's irritating, at worst, it loses us business when people who are in a hurry, walk away rather than wait (although this is rare).

Zettle have provided technical support, but nothing has been able to fix it. Having spoken to a couple of acquaintances who have run zettle on their android phones, they've told me that the only time they've had connection issues is when they have to run it on their bosses iPhone.

So, with my current tablet dying, I figured i'd give android tablet a go, in the hopes it resolves the connection issues we're experiencing. Plus, I have only ever had android phones, and windows computers, so feel way more confident using android tablets, rather than iPads or iPhones.

 

[estwig]

Not wating to get too geeky with ya, it seems zettle uses bluetooth to connect, hence the problems with apple stuff, apple do some weird things with bluetooth.

To be really sure you'll need to know what bluetooth codec the zettle uses, then make sure the android device you choose has this codec too. Codecs are nothing to do with android, they are a manufacturer thing, so they vary between model and manufacturer.

 

[Olzki]

Not wating to get too geeky with ya, it seems zettle uses bluetooth to connect, hence the problems with apple stuff, apple do some weird things with bluetooth.

To be really sure you'll need to know what bluetooth codec the zettle uses, then make sure the android device you choose has this codec too. Codecs are nothing to do with android, they are a manufacturer thing, so they vary between model and manufacturer.

That's brilliant info - thank you! I'll contact zettle to find out what bluetooth codec they use, and then see what android tablets match up - thank you!

 

[Olzki]

Grrr. Email back from Zettle. Repeating that an android device version 9 or higher will work, even though it doesn't. Thwy won't tell me what bluetooth codec the card reader is using. I did find that on the Samsung Galaxy tablet I bought you can change the audio bluetooth codecs; not sure if its the same thing, but I'll give it a go, and see what happens.

 

[estwig]

Grrr. Email back from Zettle. Repeating that an android device version 9 or higher will work, even though it doesn't. Thwy won't tell me what bluetooth codec the card reader is using. I did find that on the Samsung Galaxy tablet I bought you can change the audio bluetooth codecs; not sure if its the same thing, but I'll give it a go, and see what happens.

You cant really change audio codecs on a device, let alone the ones that deal with info.

It gets really tricky as the same model of, for example samsung S7 tab, might have different codecs instaled, from another identical model, depending on what chipset it has inside.

Generally the more expensive the tab, the more codecs they have and therefore better connectivity.

 

[Nico Albrecht]

It might not work with an entry level Samsung. I Zettel partnered up last year with Samsung but it seems only their top end devices are listed https://news.samsung.com/uk/samsung...ces-to-support-small-businesses-across-the-uk

Hard to say but I would start with at full factory reset on the I Zettel to force a new Bluetooth setup.