Counter tablet (no sign-in)
The counter tablet redeems tickets on its own. Nobody signs in at the counter, and the screen never times out, even on a quiet day. It shows only the scan screen, with your restaurant's name at the…
Where: the counter screen on your restaurant's counter tablet (app.forwardtab.org/counter). Nobody signs in on it. A manager sets it up once.
The counter tablet redeems tickets on its own. Nobody signs in at the counter, and the screen never times out, even on a quiet day. It shows only the scan screen, with your restaurant's name at the top.
Redeem a ticket on the counter screen
It works exactly like Redeem a meal ticket: ring up the meal on your register, enter the POS transaction ID, scan the ticket's QR code (or type its number) and select Redeem ticket. The results mean the same thing.
No questions asked. A valid ticket is all a guest needs. Never ask who they are or why they're using a ticket.
Set up the counter tablet (managers)
- iPad only: open Forward Tab in Safari, select Share → Add to Home Screen, then open Forward Tab from the new Home Screen icon and do the next steps there. An iPad keeps the icon's settings separate from Safari's.
- On the tablet, sign in with a manager account and open Setup → Hardware.
- Under Register a device, choose Counter tablet and enter a Label (for example, "Front counter"). Leave Counter mode ticked, and select Register device.
- Select Pair this tablet.
- Select Sign out and open the counter screen. You're signed out, so your manager account doesn't stay on the shared tablet, and the counter screen opens.
- Android (optional): in Chrome, select ⋮ → Add to Home screen (or Install app). The Forward Tab Counter icon opens straight to the counter screen, without the browser's address bar.
Use Chrome (or Edge or Samsung Internet) on an Android counter tablet. Pair, open the counter screen and add the icon all in that same browser: browsers don't share their storage, so a tablet paired in one browser isn't paired in another. Some browsers, such as DuckDuckGo, can't install Forward Tab as an app: their Add to Home screen only makes a shortcut that opens in the browser, with its address bar.
To keep staff on the counter screen, you can lock the tablet to it:
- Android: turn on App pinning in Settings → Security (called screen pinning on older versions).
- iPad: turn on Guided Access in Settings → Accessibility.
What the counter tablet can do
- It can only redeem tickets for your restaurant, with the same checks as a staff member's Scan & redeem.
- It can't see your wallet, payouts, reports or settings.
- Your audit trail records each ticket it redeems against the tablet, not a person.
Turn it off or disconnect it
- Turn counter mode off: on the Hardware page, untick Counter in the tablet's settings. The tablet then shows "Counter mode is off for this tablet". Tick it again to turn it back on.
- Lost or stolen tablet: select Revoke on the Hardware page. It stops working immediately, and the screen says "This tablet was disconnected". To use it again, register and pair it again.
If the screen shows a message
Message | What to do |
|---|---|
Set up this tablet as a counter | The tablet isn't paired yet. A manager follows the set-up steps above. |
Counter mode is off for this tablet | A manager ticks Counter for the tablet on the Hardware page, then reloads the page. |
This tablet was disconnected | It was revoked. A manager registers and pairs it again. |
Can't reach Forward Tab | Check the tablet's Wi-Fi. The screen tries again every 30 seconds. |
Printing tickets on the same tablet? A tablet shows one page at a time. The Print station page still needs a staff member to sign in, so a separate tablet or the print agent is simpler.