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Check-In Kiosk Setup

Turn an iPad or tablet into a self-service check-in station

Overview

Kiosk mode turns your device into a locked, full-screen check-in station. Walk-ins add themselves to your waitlist without anyone behind the counter, and they appear in your app the moment they finish.

It's the same Ozync app you already use — kiosk mode is a screen inside it, not a separate download. Setup takes about 5 minutes.

What You Need

  • 1

    A device to leave out

    An iPad or Android tablet works best. This device stays on the counter, so it shouldn't be the phone you carry around.

  • 2

    A stand and a power cable

    Kiosk mode keeps the screen awake, so keep it plugged in. Any tablet stand works.

  • 3

    Wi-Fi

    Guests are written to your waitlist as they check in.

1

Set Your Admin Exit PIN First

Settings → Operations → Admin Exit PIN

Choose a 4-digit code. This is what stops a guest — or a curious child — from tapping their way out of kiosk mode and into your full app, where your guest list and settings live.

Do this before you leave the device unattended. Without a PIN, kiosk mode still works, but anyone who finds the lock button can exit straight into your account.

2

Decide What the Form Asks

Settings → Kiosk → Join Form

Every question you add is one more thing a guest does standing up, so keep it short. The common setup:

  • •Single Name Field — one box instead of first and last. Fewer taps.
  • •Show Phone Field — leave this on. A phone number is what lets you text a guest when you're ready for them.
  • •Show Service Picker — lets guests say what they came in for, so you know before they sit down.
  • •Auto-Open Join Form — reopens the form after each check-in, so the kiosk is ready for the next guest without a tap.

Each field also has an Optional / Required choice. Required means a guest can't finish without it — useful for a phone number you intend to text, and worth leaving off for anything you don't truly need.

3

Choose What Guests See

Settings → Kiosk → What Guests See

The kiosk can show the current queue alongside the form, so a guest can see how many people are ahead before they commit: Show Walk-Ins, Show Appointments, Show Estimated Wait.

Show Full Last Name stays off in most salons — the queue is visible to everyone in the room, and initials are enough for a guest to spot themselves.

Show QR Code and Show NFC Tap add a "Join from Phone" panel, so guests can use their own phone instead of the kiosk when there's a queue at the counter. See the NFC guide.

Appearance themes are under Settings → Kiosk → Appearance if you want the kiosk to match your salon's look.

4

Start the Kiosk

Tap the Kiosk button on your dashboard and confirm. The app switches to full-screen guest self-service and stays there.

To exit: tap the lock button at the bottom of the screen, then enter your admin PIN. It's a small, faint icon in the footer — deliberately easy for staff to find and easy for guests to overlook. If you forget where it is, it sits beside "Powered by Ozync".

Guests who check in appear on your waitlist immediately, on every device signed into your business.

Locking the Device Down Further (Optional)

Kiosk mode locks the Ozync app, but the device's own home button can still leave it. For an unattended counter, your tablet's built-in kiosk feature closes that gap:

  • •iPad — Guided Access: Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access. Turn it on, set a passcode, then triple-click the side button while Ozync is open. The device stays in Ozync until you triple-click and enter that passcode.
  • •Android — Screen Pinning: Settings → Security → Screen pinning. Turn it on with "ask for PIN before unpinning", then pin Ozync from the recent-apps view.

Also worth setting: Auto-Lock / Screen timeout to Never, and keeping the device on power.

Troubleshooting

I can't get out of kiosk mode

Tap the lock icon in the footer at the bottom of the screen, next to "Powered by Ozync", then enter your 4-digit admin PIN. If you never set a PIN, tapping the lock exits immediately.

I forgot my admin PIN

Sign in to your account on another device — a phone or a computer at ozync.com — and change the PIN under Settings. The kiosk picks up the new PIN right away.

The join button doesn't do anything

A required field is probably empty. Tapping the button shows a message right above it saying what's missing — a name, a valid phone number, or a service.

Guests are asked to sign a waiver at the kiosk

That's your waiver setting. The kiosk asks for a signature before adding the guest, so nobody joins unsigned. See the Waivers guide to change which services require one.

The screen keeps going to sleep

Set the device's Auto-Lock (iPad) or Screen timeout (Android) to Never, and keep it plugged in.

Can I use the kiosk and still take walk-ins myself?

Yes. The kiosk is one device; your phone or another tablet can stay in the normal app. Everything syncs live.

Related Guides

NFC Tap-to-Join — let guests join from their own phone instead

TV Display Setup — show the queue on a screen in your lobby

Stations & Walk-in Waitlist — manage guests once they've checked in

Still need help?

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