iPhone POS Hardware Compatibility Guide
Please Note: Some of the products linked in this buyer guide might be out of date. We are working to update this documentation. Please reach out to our sales team if you have any questions.
Learn iOS Point Of Sale From The Pros
The iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch have become attractive options for adding mobile point of sale or inventory management to many retail and restaurant operations. With a sleek design and easy to use operating system, these iOS devices offer much of the functionality as mobile computers.
Trying to find the right POS equipment to work with your iOS device can be difficult. Thankfully, we have researched and tested the hardware we feel will offer the best experience in scanning barcodes, printing receipts, or taking payment.
Find iOS POS Hardware By Type
Barcode Scanners
Receipt Printers
Cash Drawers
Card Readers
Barcode Scanner
The built-in camera on iPhones can read barcodes if needed, though it's really only useful for low volume scanning. For the kind of scanning done during inventory checks or retail checkout, a secondary scanner is vital.
iPhones and iPods lack standard USB ports, so you are limited to Bluetooth barcode scanners or scanners that use the dock connector to send barcode data. Our full iPhone scanner listing contains the products we feel provide the best experience for iPhone users. Other scanners can provide similar functionality; please call if you'd like more info.
| POSGuys Recommended iPhone Scanners | Model | Type | Devices Supported |
|---|---|---|
| Mobilogics iScan | Dock Connector | iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 2nd, 3rd, 4th Gen, iPad, iPad 2, iPad 3rd Gen |
| Mobilogics iPDT380 | Sled | iPod Touch 4th Generation |
| Honeywell Captuvo | Sled | iPod Touch 4th Generation |
| Motorola CS3070 | Bluetooth Scanner | Any running iOS 4 or greater |
| Unitech MS910 | Bluetooth Scanner | Any running iOS 4 or greater |
| Socket CHS Series 7 | Bluetooth Scanner | Any running iOS 4 or greater |
| Opticon OPN2002 | Bluetooth Scanner | Any running iOS 4 or greater |
Honeywell Captuvo Sled - 4th Gen iPod Touch barcode scanning
Motorola CS3070 - Easy to configure bluetooth scanning
Please note that using a Bluetooth barcode scanner with your iOS device will disable the on-screen keyboard.
Receipt Printer
iOS devices don't support printing by default, so it is vital to reference your mobile POS software for hardware compatibility. The top printer in terms of general iPhone POS compatibility is the Star Micronics TSP100. You will need to connect the printer to your network, so a TSP100 with ethernet interface or USB model connected to an AirPort Express is your best option.
Star TSP100 - Ethernet InterfaceStar TSP100 - USB Interface
Cash Drawer
Any printer-driven cash drawer is compatible with iOS devices, so long as you have a compatible receipt printer setup properly. However, since the printer is connected through a wireless network, you'll want to be near the cash drawer when you ring a customer up. Having the drawer open on the other side of you business is a quick way to having an empty till.
| POSGuys Recommended iPhone Cash Drawer | Model | Type |
|---|---|
| MMF Advantage | Heavy Duty |
| POS-X ION | Heavy Duty |
| MMF Val-U-Line | Medium Duty |
| APG Series 100 | Heavy Duty |
POS-X ION - Heavy Duty Design
MMF Val-U-Line - Affordable Cash Storage
Card Reader
There are multiple options for taking payment with your iPhone or iPad. One method involves connecting a card reader to the audio jack on your device and having it transmit the card data as audio. The other method uses the dock connector on your iPhone to transmit data. Both options offer hardware-encrypted reads, giving you greater peace of mind when taking payments.
With card readers from major manufacturers, including MagTek, IDTech, Honeywell, Intuit, and Verifone, you can be sure that your customer's card data is protected.
| POSGuys Recommended iPhone Card Reader | Model | Type |
|---|---|
| MagTek iDynamo | Dock Connector |
| IDTech UniMag Pro | Headphone Jack |
| IDTech Shuttle | Headphone Jack |
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