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Check-In Troubleshooting

Check-In Troubleshooting

Even with everything set up correctly, things sometimes go wrong on a busy Sunday morning. This article collects the most common issues, why they happen, and how to fix them quickly.

If you don't see your issue listed, check the related article (Pre-Check-In, Lockdown, Volunteer Check-In, etc.) for topic-specific tips.

Printer Not Detected

Symptom: You click "Print Labels" or "Print All" and nothing happens, or the print dialog opens but no printer is listed.

Quick Checks

  1. Printer is powered on. The Brother QL and Dymo printers have a power button. Confirm the indicator light is on.
  2. Printer is connected. USB printers should be plugged directly into the kiosk device (not through an unpowered hub). Network/AirPrint printers should be on the same Wi-Fi network as the kiosk.
  3. Browser print dialog. TimelyChurch labels print through the browser's standard print dialog. If your browser shows "No printers found," the operating system has lost the printer, not the app.

macOS / iPad

  1. Open Printers & Scanners in the Mac's settings app (macOS) or Settings > General > AirPrint (iPad).
  2. Confirm the printer is listed and not paused.
  3. If it is missing, click the + button and add it.
  4. Print a test page from the OS to confirm the connection.

Windows

  1. Open Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners.
  2. Confirm the printer is listed and the status is "Ready."
  3. If it shows "Offline" or "Paused," right-click and clear the queue, then resume printing.

Brother-Specific

  • The Brother QL series requires the Brother b-PAC driver on Windows for raw DK label printing. Without it, the printer may show but produce garbled labels.
  • On macOS, install drivers from Brother's website if AirPrint produces incorrect sizes.

Dymo-Specific

  • Dymo LabelWriter requires the Dymo Connect software installed and running.
  • Confirm in Dymo Connect that the correct label stock is selected. The wrong stock setting causes mis-aligned labels.

Last Resort

Plug the printer into a different USB port or different device to confirm the printer itself works. If it does not work anywhere, the printer is the problem; if it works elsewhere, the kiosk device's USB / drivers are the problem.

iOS Safari Camera Permission Denied

Symptom: You tap "Scan QR Code with Camera" on the kiosk and either nothing happens, the camera area is black, or you see a permission denied error.

Causes and Fixes

  1. The kiosk address starts with http://, not https://. The browser camera only works on a secure address. Confirm the address bar shows the lock icon and the address starts with https://.
  2. Permission was denied previously. Go to Settings > Safari > Camera on the iPad. Find your kiosk's domain in the list. Set it to "Ask" or "Allow" instead of "Deny." Then reload the kiosk page and the permission prompt will appear again.
  3. Another app is using the camera. FaceTime, Zoom, or another browser tab can hold the camera. Close them and reload the kiosk.
  4. Camera hardware is disabled. On managed iPads (e.g., MDM-controlled), the camera can be disabled organization-wide. Contact whoever provisioned the iPad.

Workaround

The kiosk also supports Bluetooth and USB barcode scanners. If iOS camera permissions become an ongoing issue, deploy a handheld scanner. Scanners are always active, no permissions required.

See Pre-Check-In for details on the QR code scanning flow.

Bluetooth Scanner Not Pairing

Symptom: The handheld scanner won't pair with the kiosk device, or it pairs but inputs don't reach the kiosk.

Pairing Steps

  1. Put the scanner in pairing mode (consult your scanner's setup card, usually a long-press of a button or a barcode you scan to enable pairing).
  2. On the kiosk device, open Bluetooth settings and look for the scanner in the device list.
  3. Tap to pair. Most scanners do not require a passcode; some require typing 0000 or 1234.

Scanner Pairs but Input Doesn't Reach the Kiosk

The most common cause is the scanner being in the wrong communication mode.

  • HID Keyboard mode (recommended). The scanner acts like a keyboard. Inputs appear wherever the cursor is. The kiosk expects this mode.
  • SPP / Serial mode. The scanner emits raw serial data. The kiosk does not read this.
  • HID Apple iOS mode (some scanners). A keyboard variant for iOS. Should work with the kiosk in iOS Safari.

To switch modes, scan the configuration barcode on your scanner's setup card. Most scanners have one barcode per mode.

Confirming the Scanner Is Active

The kiosk shows a hint at the bottom of the screen: "Bluetooth scanner also ready." If this hint is missing, the scanner is not being detected.

Battery Check

Scanners with low batteries sometimes pair successfully but emit no output. Charge or replace batteries.

"No Active Session" Error

Symptom: When trying to check someone in or scan a pre-check QR, the system returns "No active check-in session."

Cause

Every check-in must be tied to an active session. If no session is active for today, the system cannot record a check-in.

Fix

  1. Open Check-In in the admin panel.
  2. Tap Start Session.
  3. Give the session a name, then either choose Link to Event or leave it on No event - standalone session.
  4. Tap Start Session in the dialog. The session is now active.
  5. Retry the check-in.

Special Case: Multi-Session Days

If you run multiple concurrent sessions and a family is being asked which session to use, both must be active. End old sessions before starting new ones if you don't want overlap.

Kiosk Shows "Offline — check-ins saved"

Symptom: An amber bar at the bottom of the kiosk reads "Offline — check-ins saved: [number]. Will send automatically."

Cause

The kiosk lost its internet connection. Check-ins made while offline are saved on the kiosk device.

Fix

  1. Restore the Wi-Fi (or switch to a hotspot).
  2. The kiosk sends the saved check-ins on its own when the connection returns. Tap Send now to send them immediately.
  3. Keep the kiosk tab open until the bar disappears. The saved check-ins live on that device. Saved check-ins older than 12 hours are discarded rather than sent.

See Setting Up a Check-In Kiosk.

Kiosk Shows "Session expired"

Symptom: A red banner at the top of the kiosk reads Session expired. "A leader needs to unlock this kiosk again. Check-ins are paused until then."

Fix

A leader taps Reload and signs in again. Check-ins saved on the device while the kiosk was paused are kept and sent after the reload.

Check-In Blocked Because a Consent Form Is Required

Symptom: A check-in is refused with "A signed consent form is required before checking in.", or scanning a pre-check code returns "This session requires a signed consent form — please check in at the kiosk to sign."

Cause

The session has a consent form attached with Block check-in until signed turned on, and this family has not signed it (or their signature is older than the session allows). Signatures can only be collected on the kiosk.

Fix

Have the family check in at the kiosk by phone number or name, where the Sign the consent form step appears. See Consent Forms and Waivers at Check-In.

Forgot Kiosk PIN

Symptom: The kiosk is locked, you (or a different staff member) cannot remember the PIN, and you need to exit kiosk mode.

Important Context

The kiosk PIN is set per browser tab, on the kiosk device itself. It is not stored on the church's account or recoverable from the admin panel. There is no "forgot PIN" link inside the kiosk. The lock survives a page reload, but not closing the tab.

Recovery Options

  1. Force-quit the browser. On a kiosk-mode tablet, this might require: a bezel swipe to bring up the navigation bar, then closing the browser tab or app entirely. Reopening the kiosk address starts unlocked, and a new PIN is set on the first lock.
  2. Clear browser site data. Settings > [Browser] > Clear site data for your kiosk's domain. Reload. The kiosk now treats this device as new.
  3. Use a different device. If you are mid-service and just need to get back to the admin page, open the admin URL on a phone or laptop instead of fighting the locked kiosk.

Prevention

  • Write the PIN on a sticky note kept with the children's ministry lead, taped under the kiosk stand, or written on the back of the iPad case (not the front).
  • Use a memorable PIN that the whole team knows, like the church's street number or a key year.
  • Only the people who need to exit the kiosk need the PIN. Volunteers checking families in do not.

See article 2 for the full lock/unlock workflow.

Lockdown Activated by Accident

Symptom: A staff member accidentally tapped Activate Lockdown, and now no one can check out.

Recovery

  1. Stay calm. The system is working as designed; nothing is broken.
  2. Lockdown can only be lifted by an administrator. The Deactivate Lockdown control appears only for administrators.
  3. In the red lockdown banner on the Check-In Station, the administrator enters their own account password and clicks Deactivate Lockdown. The password must be correct; an incorrect password leaves lockdown active.
  4. Once deactivated, all checkouts work again immediately.

Prevent Accidental Activation

  • Only administrators see the Activate Lockdown button, and it asks for confirmation first. Make sure administrators know what it does before they sign in at the station.
  • Train all staff that lockdown is a lockdown, not a placeholder.
  • Run a drill so everyone knows what activation looks like.

See article 9 for the full lockdown workflow.

Family Cannot Be Found by Phone

Symptom: A family enters their phone number at the kiosk and "No Match Found" appears ("We couldn't find anyone with that phone number.").

Causes

  1. Phone not on file. The system searches the mobile, home, and work phone numbers of every person in the church. If the phone they typed isn't on any record, no match.
  2. Phone formatted differently. The system normalizes digits before searching, but if a record was entered with a country code or extension that's stored as raw text, search may miss it.
  3. Family typed wrong number. The most common cause, a typo or a misremembered phone.
  4. Digits from the middle of the number. The lookup matches the last 4 or more digits (or the whole number). Four digits from the middle of a number find nothing.
  5. No active session. Lookups only run while a check-in session is open for this station. Start or select a session and try again.

Fixes

  • Have the family search by name instead. Tap "Search by name" on the phone entry screen.
  • As a last resort, check them in with Add Visitor. This may create a duplicate person record, so prefer name search, and merge any duplicate afterwards (see Duplicate Detection and Merge).
  • After the service, find the family in the People directory and update their phone number so future check-ins work cleanly.

Allergy Information Not Showing on Label

Symptom: A child's allergy is on file but doesn't appear on the printed label.

Quick Checks

  1. "Show allergies on labels" is enabled in Check-In Settings > Printer Setup. If unchecked, allergies will not print.
  2. The child's profile has the Allergies custom field filled in. Allergies are read from that field at check-in time. If it is empty, or the field has been deleted from Church Setting → Fields, the label has nothing to print. See Custom Fields.
  3. The label template includes the Allergies field. Custom templates can omit the allergy field. Open the label designer and confirm "Allergies" is on the canvas of the template you are using.
  4. The check-in happened before the allergy was added. Allergies are captured at check-in time. If you added the allergy after check-in, the existing check-in record won't have it, but new check-ins will.

For Maximum Visibility

Use the Medical Alert template for children with serious allergies. It has a prominent red header and a highlighted allergy box. See article 5.

QR Code "Already Used" Error

Symptom: A family scans their pre-check QR and gets "This pre-check code was already used at [time]."

Cause

Pre-check codes are single-use. Once scanned successfully, the code is marked used to prevent reuse (which would create duplicate check-ins).

Fixes

  1. Confirm the code was actually scanned. If the family scanned it but did not see a confirmation, it may have been processed without their realizing. Check the live roster for the family's name. They may already be checked in.
  2. Ask the family to generate a new code. Have them open the member portal and tap Pre-Check In again. A new code is generated immediately and replaces any previous one for the day.
  3. Or use phone lookup. Skip the QR entirely and have them enter their phone number. The family is already in the system since they pre-checked.

Pre-Check Code "Different Date" Error

Symptom: A family scans their pre-check QR and gets "This pre-check code was for [date]. Please create a new pre-check for today."

Cause

Pre-check codes are valid for the day they were created. If a family pre-checks on Saturday night and arrives Sunday, the code is still valid (Saturday-night and Sunday-morning are usually within the same calendar day depending on time zone). But if a family generates a code on Sunday and tries to use it the following Sunday, it will be expired.

Fix

The family generates a fresh code from the member portal. Takes about 10 seconds.

Labels Print Off-Center or Cut Off

Symptom: Names and security codes are cut off, mis-aligned, or running into each other.

Causes

  1. Wrong label size selected in Check-In Settings > Printer Setup. The selected size must match the actual label stock loaded in the printer.
  2. Wrong orientation. Most check-in labels are landscape, not portrait. Orientation is a property of the label template (set in the Label Designer), so if a template's orientation is wrong, its canvas is rotated.
  3. Custom template overflows the canvas. Elements positioned beyond the label edge in the designer are cut off when printed. Open the template in the designer and confirm everything is inside the canvas borders.

Fix

  1. Confirm the label size in settings matches the physical labels.
  2. Print a test from the template's preview page. The preview is rendered at the same scale as the actual print, so it shows exactly what will come out.
  3. Adjust the template if needed in the label designer.

Multiple Tabs Showing Different Data

Symptom: Two staff members on different devices see different counts on the Check-In Station.

Cause

The Check-In Station reloads after each action you take on it, but it does not pick up check-ins made on other devices (such as a kiosk) on its own.

Fix

  • Reload the page on the device that looks out of date.
  • For a screen that stays current by itself, use the Classroom Roster (it refreshes every few seconds) or the kiosk's live stats.

"Already Checked In" Error

Symptom: Trying to check someone in returns an error that they are already checked in.

Cause

The system prevents the same person from being checked in twice to the same active session. This is intentional to prevent duplicate attendance records.

Fix

  • Confirm the person is in the live roster. They may already be there.
  • If they need to be checked in to a different session that is also active, that should work. The check applies per session.
  • If a duplicate check-in is needed for some reason (rare), check them out first and then back in.

Child Checkout Blocked: "A pickup person must be selected"

Symptom: You verify a child's security code, but Confirm Check Out stays greyed out, or checkout returns "A pickup person must be selected for child checkout."

Cause

For children, the code alone no longer completes a checkout. After you verify the code, the Verify & Check Out panel shows a "Who is picking up?" list of the child's authorized pickup adults. You must choose who is collecting the child before Confirm Check Out becomes active.

Fix

  1. Verify the child's security code as usual.
  2. In the "Who is picking up?" list, tap the adult who is collecting the child.
  3. Confirm Check Out becomes active. Tap it to complete the checkout.

If the Right Person Isn't Listed

  • The pickup person may not be on the family's authorized-pickup list. Add them to the family/child record so they appear next time.
  • For a one-time exception, an administrator can tick "Override pickup authorization (admin only)" to complete the checkout. The override is recorded on the check-in record's notes.
  • Volunteer accounts cannot override. Only an administrator can.

Child Checkout Blocked: "Ask a check-in manager to release this child"

Symptom: The Check Out Child window says "This check-in has no security code (it was added by hand). Ask a check-in manager to release this child."

Cause

The child was checked in by hand (for example on an event's attendance or at a group meeting), so there is no security code to match. Releasing a child without a code needs check-in Manage.

Fix

  • Ask someone with check-in Manage (a check-in manager or an administrator) to open the same Check out button. They choose who is picking up from the family's list and type a reason, for example "Photo ID checked". The reason is saved in the check-in's notes.
  • The person picking up must still be on the child's authorized-pickup list.

Child Checkout Blocked: "This person is not authorized to pick up..."

Symptom: Checkout returns "This person is not authorized to pick up [name]."

Cause

The selected adult is not on the child's authorized-pickup list. This is the child-safety system doing its job.

Fix

  • Confirm you selected the correct adult from the "Who is picking up?" list.
  • If the person is genuinely authorized, add them to the family/child record so they are recognized going forward.
  • If an exception is needed right now, an administrator can use "Override pickup authorization (admin only)" on the full Verify & Check Out panel to complete the checkout.

Reports Show Zero Check-Ins

Symptom: A session report or analytics report shows zero check-ins for a day you know had attendance.

Quick Checks

  1. Date range. Reports default to a specific window. Confirm your filters include the day in question.
  2. Church scope. If you have multiple churches, confirm you are viewing reports for the correct church.
  3. Session filtering. Some reports filter by event or session. Confirm "All sessions" is selected if you want a complete view.
  4. Time zone. Late-Saturday-night events can fall on Saturday in one time zone and Sunday in another. Make sure your church's time zone is set correctly.

Still Stuck?

If you have an issue not covered here:

  1. Check the article most relevant to the feature (Lockdown, Volunteer, Pre-Check, etc.).
  2. Try the action from a different browser or device to rule out local issues.
  3. Contact TimelyChurch support with: a description of what you tried, what happened, the URL, the date and time, and any error message displayed.

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