Android Permissions
Symptom: on an Android phone or tablet, Add printer says No printer found, or your Bluetooth printer is missing from the results.
If WCPOS isn't allowed to use Bluetooth, it can't find Bluetooth printers. Check it first.
A Wi-Fi printer needs no permission on any Android version: go straight to Wi-Fi printers.
Let WCPOS reach your printer
- For a Bluetooth printer, check Bluetooth is on in Android's quick settings.
- Find your Android version: open Android Settings → About phone → Android version.
- Open Android Settings → Apps → WCPOS → Permissions.
- Allow the permission for your version:
- Android 11 and older: there is no Nearby devices permission. Tap Location and allow it. These versions need Location to find Bluetooth printers.
- Android 12 and newer: tap Nearby devices and choose Allow. This lets WCPOS find Bluetooth printers and connect to them.
- Go back to WCPOS and tap Scan again on the Add printer screen.
When your printer appears, tap Print a test page below its card. If the page prints and the ruler across it looks right, answer Yes, and it looks right: the printer is saved and the fix worked. The full walkthrough is in Add a printer.
Menu names in Android's own Settings vary a little between phone makers, but every Android phone has a Permissions page for each app.
Bluetooth printers
Once the permission is allowed, WCPOS looks for Bluetooth printers. Whether it finds yours also depends on the kind of Bluetooth the printer uses:
- Bluetooth Low Energy printers show up in the scan by themselves. They don't need pairing in Android.
- Classic Bluetooth printers, which include many low-cost 58 mm printers, only show up once Android has paired them. On the No printer found screen, tap Open Bluetooth settings, pair the printer there, then come back and tap Scan again.
Not sure which kind you have, or the printer won't pair? Pairing a Bluetooth receipt printer explains how to tell, and how to put the printer into pairing mode.
Wi-Fi printers
Check the phone or tablet is on the shop's Wi-Fi, the same network as the printer, and not on mobile data or a guest network.
If the scan still comes back empty but you know the printer's address, tap Enter an IP address. It skips the scan and checks that one address directly. The address is printed on the printer's status sheet. See Finding your printer's network address.
If something goes wrong
Discovery failed
A red line under No printer found says printer discovery failed, for example "Bluetooth is off or not allowed for this app." Bluetooth is off on the phone, or WCPOS isn't allowed to use it. Turn Bluetooth on and allow the permission for your Android version, then tap Scan again.
Printing not allowed
After a test print, Nothing printed says "The app was not allowed to reach the printer. Allow it in your system settings, then try again." Android refused WCPOS when it tried to print. Allow the permission for your Android version, then tap Try again.
Printer needs pairing
After a test print, Nothing printed says "Pair the printer in this phone's Bluetooth settings, then scan again." The printer uses Classic Bluetooth and Android no longer has it paired. Tap Open Bluetooth settings below the message, pair it, then tap Start over to scan again.
Allowed, but the printer is still missing
Nearby devices (or Location on Android 11 and older) is allowed and the printer still isn't found. Turn the printer off and on, then tap Scan again. If it is still missing:
- Bluetooth printer: see Pairing a Bluetooth receipt printer for the other causes.
- Wi-Fi printer: check the network and try the printer's address, as in Wi-Fi printers.
Still stuck
If the printer never shows up, there is no test print to report on: contact us below and tell us your Android version and the printer's make and model.
If the printer shows up but won't print, tap Copy setup report on the Nothing printed screen. That screen opens by itself when a test print fails, or when you answer Nothing came out after a test print. On Android, Copy setup report opens the share menu: send the report to us by email, or copy it into your message. It lists your app version, the printer, what the app tried and what the printer answered.