Pairing your first kiosk

Pairing binds a physical tablet to your owner account as a specific named kiosk. Once paired, the tablet is "trusted" and can open sessions without a user account — it's identified by a signed device token stored in its local storage. This page walks through the full pairing flow from the owner side. For the tablet-side experience, see Initial setup and pairing.

#Generate a pairing code

In the owner panel, open Operations → Kiosks. Click New kiosk in the top right. You'll see a dialog asking for:

• Display name — how this kiosk is labeled in reports, e.g. "Front counter" or "Drive-thru left".
• Location — which of your business locations it belongs to.

Click Generate code. A 6-digit number appears on screen, with a 15-minute countdown timer. This code is single-use and device-scoped — once a tablet claims it, the code is invalidated.

Behind the scenes, the server created a pending Kiosk row with status=unpaired and a random pairing_code column. It also logged the code's expiry so expired codes can be swept by a daily cron.

#Enter the code on the tablet

On the tablet, open a Chrome or Safari tab and navigate to kiosk.yumkiosk.com. On first load the app asks "Is this a new kiosk or a previously paired one?". Tap New kiosk, then enter the 6-digit code and tap Pair.

The tablet sends POST /api/public/kiosks/pair with the code and its auto-generated device_id. The server verifies the code, flips the kiosk's status to active, associates the device_id, and returns a long-lived device token. The tablet stores the token in localStorage and transitions to the attract screen.

If the code has expired or been claimed already, you get a specific error: PAIRING_CODE_EXPIRED or PAIRING_CODE_ALREADY_USED. Regenerate a new one from the owner panel in that case.

#Verify the pairing

Back in the owner panel, refresh Operations → Kiosks. The new kiosk should show up with:

• Status: green dot, "Online"
• Last seen: just now
• Device ID: the UUID the tablet generated
• IP: the public IP of the tablet

If the kiosk doesn't show up within a few seconds, check the tablet's network connection and make sure it can reach api.yumkiosk.com over HTTPS (port 443 outbound).

#Regenerating codes

If you lose track of a pairing code before entering it, click Regenerate next to the pending kiosk. This invalidates the old code and issues a fresh one. You can do this unlimited times; codes are cheap.

#Unpairing

To retire a kiosk, click Actions → Unpair. The server revokes the device token, and the next time the tablet tries to call the API it'll get a 401 and show the pairing screen again. The historical record of sessions from that kiosk stays in your account for reporting purposes.