Install PHP Point Of Sale from the App Store or Google Play, enter your cloud store URL, and sign in with your employee account. The device camera works as a barcode scanner, Square can take card payments on the same device, and Android prints to ESCPOS receipt printers through the ESCPOS Print Service app.

The PHP Point Of Sale mobile app puts your cloud store on a phone or tablet: the same employee login, the same inventory and sales data, without dragging a laptop to the sales floor or a pop-up booth. It is a window onto the same store you use in the browser, so anything you do in the app — a sale, a stock adjustment, a customer edit — is immediately visible everywhere else.

Requirements

• A supported iOS or Android device with an internet connection. The app needs to be online to reach your store.
• Your cloud store URL — the same address you use in the browser, in the form https://yourstorename.phppointofsale.com.

Install and connect

1. Install the PHP Point Of Sale app from the Apple App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).
2. Open the app, enter your store URL, and tap Continue.
3. The familiar login screen appears. Sign in with your employee username and password — or via SSO if your store uses it (see secure sign-in, 2FA and SSO).

If the login screen never appears, the URL is usually the problem: check the spelling (including https://), confirm the device is online, and try opening the same URL in the device's browser first — if the browser cannot reach it, neither can the app.

Each employee signs in with their own account, and everything they can see or do in the app is governed by the same employee permissions as on a computer.

Use the camera as a barcode scanner

On screens that accept a barcode — ringing up a sale, looking up an item — tap the camera icon to scan with the device camera:

1. Tap the camera icon next to the search field.
2. The first time, the operating system asks for camera access — tap OK/Allow. Without this permission the scanner cannot read codes; if you declined it, re-enable camera access for the app in the device's settings.
3. Point the camera at the barcode; the item is added or looked up as if you had typed it.

A dedicated Bluetooth barcode scanner also works when you prefer hardware — see scales, scanners and customer displays.

Taking card payments on mobile

• Square — with Square enabled as the processor on the location, the mobile flow hands the payment to the Square Point of Sale app installed on the same device and returns to the sale when Square finishes. Install Square's app from the App Store or Google Play first; setup is covered in setting up credit card processing.
• PHP POS Payments — handheld smart terminals offered through PHP POS Payments give you an EMV chip-and-tap device in hand instead of a phone reader, and pair with the same cloud store the app is signed in to.

Print receipts from an Android device

For reliable receipt printing from Android hardware we recommend the third-party ESCPOS Print Service app, which works with most ESC/POS-compatible thermal receipt printers.

1. Install the app. Get ESCPOS Print Service (by Looped Labs) from the Google Play Store on the Android device that runs PHP Point Of Sale.
2. Set it up. Open the app and follow its prompts to enable the print service in Android. Pair your receipt printer with the device — over Bluetooth, USB OTG, or the network, depending on the printer model — and confirm the printer shows as available inside the app.
3. Print from the POS. Tap Print on a receipt in PHP Point Of Sale, choose ESCPOS as the printer when the Android print menu appears, and confirm the job. The receipt prints on the paired printer.

Notes and tips:

• This works best with thermal receipt printers that speak the ESC/POS protocol — Star, Epson-compatible, Rongta, MUNBYN and similar models.
• If the printer does not appear in the ESCPOS Print Service app, check that it is powered on, properly paired or connected, and actually supports ESC/POS commands.
• Android printing behavior varies by device model and OS version, so test a receipt before opening for the day.

On iOS, print through the standard print sheet to an AirPrint-capable printer, or — on any platform — use PrintNode so receipts print server-side to the printers configured on the location, no matter which device rang the sale. Printer and cash drawer setup is covered in receipt printers, cash drawers and PrintNode.

When something will not connect

• Confirm the store URL opens in the device's browser first — that separates an app problem from a network problem.
• Sign out and back in after an employee password or permission change.
• If the app seems stuck on an old screen, force-quit and reopen it on a fresh network. Captive Wi-Fi portals (hotels, cafés) often block the app's API calls until you authenticate in the browser.
• The app requires an internet connection; for register work during an outage, see selling offline in the browser.

Common questions

What do I enter as the store URL? Your cloud address: https://yourstorename.phppointofsale.com — the same URL you use to log in from a computer.

Does the app need a separate account? No. Sign in with the same employee username and password you use in the browser, with the same permissions.

Can I scan barcodes without buying a scanner? Yes — tap the camera icon and grant camera permission; the device camera reads the barcode. Bluetooth scanners remain an option for high-volume counters.

How do I take chip or tap card payments with just a phone? Use Square on the same device (the POS hands the payment to the Square Point of Sale app and returns when it is done), or use a handheld terminal through PHP POS Payments.

Which receipt printers work from Android? Most ESC/POS thermal printers — Star, Epson-compatible, Rongta, MUNBYN and similar — via the ESCPOS Print Service app, connected by Bluetooth, USB OTG or network.

Why does printing work on one Android tablet but not another? Android print behavior differs by manufacturer and OS version. Confirm the ESCPOS Print Service is enabled in that device's print settings and that the printer is paired on that specific device — or sidestep device printing entirely with PrintNode.

Why can't the app reach my store on the shop Wi-Fi? Captive portals and restrictive networks can block the app until the network login page is completed in a browser. Open the browser, finish the portal login, then return to the app.