All Collections
Yoco Card Machines
Yoco Go & Bluetooth
Yoco Go & Bluetooth: Troubleshooting
Yoco Go & Bluetooth: Troubleshooting
Updated over a week ago

We're so sorry that you're struggling with your Yoco Go (or other Bluetooth Yoco device). Let's get you sorted.

Bluetooth pairing issues

If you're experiencing issues connecting your card machine to your smartphone or tablet, please follow these steps to troubleshoot.

IMPORTANT: Please note that you can only connect your card machine to one smartphone/tablet at a time.

Step 1: Make sure you're connected to the internet

Before pairing your card machine to your smartphone or tablet, please make sure that you have a stable internet connection on your smartphone or tablet.

Step 2: Check the battery level of the card machine

If you have a stable internet connection, please make sure you have enough battery charge by checking the on-screen indicator. If the battery is under 25%, charge your card machine before continuing to troubleshoot. To charge your Yoco card machine, use the cable provided and a plug adapter into a wall.

Step 3: Restart the Yoco POS App

Once your card machine is charged, please restart your Yoco POS App:

​For iOS

Depending on the model of iPhone you have, there are two ways to reset an app:

  1. If your iPhone has a home button: Press the home button twice. This will launch what is called an app switcher. Find the screenshot of the Yoco POS App (by scrolling left and right) and swipe it upwards. This will close the app.

  2. If your iPhone has no physical home button: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause momentarily to launch the App Switcher. Find the screenshot of the Yoco POS App (by scrolling left and right) and swipe it upwards. This will close the app.

For Android

  1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

  2. Tap the small square icon on the bottom of the screen.

  3. Press the physical button on the bottom of your phone or tablet that looks like two overlapping rectangles. You might not see it light up until you press in that area next to the Home button. On Samsung Galaxy devices, press the Recent Apps button to the left of the Home button.

  4. Find the screenshot of the Yoco POS App (by scrolling left and right) and swipe it upwards. This will close the app. Re-open the app as normal and try a R2.00 test transaction, to check if the card machine connects.

  5. ​If it connects, your troubleshooting is complete. If not, continue on to step 4 below.

Step 4: Re-pair the card machine

If restarting the app wasn't successful, disconnect the card machine from the current smartphone/tablet:

  1. Open the Bluetooth settings on the smartphone/tablet which is currently connected to your card machine.

  2. Select the card machine from the list of devices, and tap the "i" icon

  3. Select ‘Forget This Device’ (if iOS) or ‘Unpair’ (if Android).

Once unpaired, turn off both the smartphone/tablet and Yoco card machine and then reattempt pairing them. Switch on your Yoco card machine and smartphone/tablet. Open the Yoco POS App. In the bottom right hand corner, select: More -> Settings -> Card machine. Follow the prompts in the app to complete the pairing process.

Step 5: Reset the card machine

Please Note The only time the Yoco Go should be reset is if the card machine does not switch off on its own.

  1. Find the reset button. It’s a small hole located on the bottom of the card machine, next to the charging point.

  2. Insert a paper clip or earring as seen below. Please don't use anything sharper than this, as it can damage the card machine.

  3. The card machine will then turn off. Press the power button to turn it on again.

  4. Once powered up you can continue transacting.


Switching your Yoco Go to pair with a different smartphone/tablet

IMPORTANT: You can only pair your Yoco Card Machine to one smartphone/tablet at a time. Please make sure you disconnect the card machine on all devices before trying to connect to a new device.

Disconnect the card machine from the current smartphone/tablet:

  1. Open the Bluetooth settings on the smartphone/tablet which is currently connected to your card machine.

  2. Select the card machine from the list of devices, and tap the "i" icon

  3. Select ‘Forget This Device’ (if iOS) or ‘Unpair’ (if Android).
    This will remove your card machine from your smartphone/tablet’s connection history.

Connect the card machine to the new smartphone/tablet afresh (steps above)


How do I know if I have stable internet?

To transact using the Yoco POS App, you need to have a stable internet connection, which means that your smartphone/tablet must be connected to a stable network with a reliable connection.

To connect to the internet, you can connect through WiFi or through mobile internet (LTE, 3G, or 4G and higher). Accepting payments with the Yoco POS App only requires 50-100 kilobytes (KB) of data (you can action between 10 000-20 000 transactions with 1GB), so remember to check that you have data available and that the data is activated on your smartphone/tablet.

How to test your internet status

  1. Log in to the Yoco POS App

  2. Select Help from the navigation bar at the bottom

  3. Under Troubleshooting, select Test your internet connection

  4. Under General internet status, ensure IS CONNECTED displays "Your device is connected", and CONNECTION QUALITY displays "Good connection". This means your internet connection is stable.

If your connection is unstable and you try to transact, your transaction will fail and an error message will pop up saying "No internet connection, please make sure you're connected to the internet and try again."

The strength of your mobile data can differ based on your chosen network provider, and that network provider's coverage strength at your location. Check out the different network provider coverage maps below:


My card machine isn't reading cards

If your Yoco card machine isn't reading chip cards, here are some troubleshooting tips that might help fix the problem:

Step 1: Is the card being entered into the machine correctly?

Please make sure you're entering the card into the machine the correct way around. The card should be facing up, numbers visible with the chip inside the card machine, as illustrated below:

Step 2: Retry the transaction with a different card.

If you're definitely entering the card correctly and the machine is still not reading chip cards, please retry the transaction with a different card. The chips on cards wear down with constant use and can also get damaged.

Step 3: Check that there's nothing stuck inside.

If a new card is also not working, please take a torch or bright light, and look inside of the machine’s card slot, to see if there is anything stuck inside.

IMPORTANT: Card machines carried loose in bags can get paper, tissue, or tiny objects stuck inside of them. If there seems to be something inside the card slot, please try to remove it very gently.

If you've tried a new card, and nothing is stuck inside the machine’s slot, and it's still not working, please contact our support team. If your card machine is still under warranty (within one year from the date you received it), we'll organise a replacement.


My card machine isn't charging

To see if your card machine is charging there are two identifiers:

  1. The battery charging symbol on the machine screen.

  2. The red light, located next to the top left-hand corner.

If the battery charging symbol isn't displaying, try charging your card machine using a different charging cable, and from a different plug point.

If that doesn't solve the problem, it's likely that something is not working inside the machine. If your card machine is still within its warranty period (from the day you received it) please contact our support team and we'll arrange for a replacement.

IMPORTANT: Please don't keep the machine charging 24/7 as this degrades the battery. The card machine will be fully charged after 1 hour plugged into a wall socket.


My card machine's battery isn't lasting

Your Go card machine takes 1 hour to fully charge from a wall socket. If your Go isn't holding its charge, here are some troubleshooting tips to try:

Step 1: Charge your card machine until full (1 hour).

Please check how long you're charging the card machine. Only remove it from charge once the fully charged battery symbol displays. We do not recommend keeping the card machine charging 24/7 as this will degrade the battery.

Step 2: Is the card machine turning off or staying in Sleep Mode?

When the card machine is not in use for 1:30 (1 minute and 30 seconds), it will go into Sleep Mode, and a further 30 seconds after this, it will turn itself off. If your battery is not holding its charge and the card machine is permanently in Sleep Mode, please try shutting it down in between use.

If your battery is still not lasting, please contact our support team, and we'll arrange for a replacement if your machine is still within its 1-year warranty (from the day you received it).


Battery charging tips

  • The card machine takes 1 hour to fully charge from a wall socket.

  • If you're unable to turn on your machine, this may mean that the battery is completely flat. Try charge your card machine from a plug socket for 1 hour.

  • When the card machine's battery is very low, a “Low Battery. Please Charge” message will display on the screen.

  • When the machine is charging you'll see a red light on the top left hand corner and a lightning bolt over the battery icon will display.

  • When the card machine has fully charged, the fully charged battery icon will display.


My card machine's key pad isn't working

If your card machine's keypad isn't working, check for the following:

  1. Has anything been spilled on the machine? Is the machine sticky?

  2. Is only one button affected, or numerous ones?

  3. Did a customer highlight the issue e.g. when entering their pin they experienced problems?

Steps to try:

  1. Make sure you've enabled tips in the POS App or Business Portal.

  2. Start a test transaction of R2.00

  3. When the card machine displays 'Would you like to enter a Tip amount?', try every button, 1 through to 9 to see if the keys are pushing.

IMPORTANT: If the keypad is faulty please get in touch with us. If your machine is still covered under the warranty, we'll organise a replacement.

CHECK OUT our card machine policies.​


Did this answer your question?