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Once your pool or club has decided to invest in an iPad and a secure locking kiosk case, you’ll just need to enable Kiosk Mode in the Member Check In app and then make sure members can’t mess around with the iPad.

On this page, we’ll go step-by-step through the settings we recommend for kiosk mode. If you haven’t bought a locking case yet, we recommend searching Amazon for “iPad kiosk case”, and you’ll find plenty of options.

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Resetting a Used iPad

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First, let’s get the app downloaded to your iPad. Ideally, you’re starting with a brand new iPad that doesn’t have anything else on it. If a member of your club has donated an older iPad for this, have them first wipe out that iPad by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

That iPad should go back to its original factory status at that point (where it greets you with a “Hello” screen).

You want to set this up as a new iPad, so skip past any prompts to set up the iPad with an existing iCloud account. When you create a new iCloud account, you could use a club email like board@[your pool name].com or treasurer@[your pool name].com . Make sure it is a real email address you can verify (and recover the password for down the road).

If you aren’t currently at your pool or club when you set up the iPad, just remember you’ll need to connect the device to the club’s wifi. Otherwise, the app can’t connect to the net and check in members!

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Enable Kiosk Mode in the app

Download Member Check In (tap here) to an iPad. This is a free app, so you shouldn’t need to add any payment info to the App Store before downloading.
Open the app and search for your pool.
The next screen will ask for your email and PIN, which you’ll get in the next step.
Login into your Pool Dues portal (the footer menu has a link to login). After logging in, the footer menu has links only visible to admins. Tap Kiosk PIN.
Go back to the app and enter the email and PIN.

You’re done!

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Miscellaneous settings for kiosk mode

Before we make sure members can’t leave the Member Check In app, let’s toggle a few more recommended settings for kiosk mode.

Settings > Notifications > Touch ID & Passcode > Turn Passcode Off . If the iPad restarts (because it ran out of power), you’ll want the lifeguards to be able to restart the iPad and get right back into the app.
Settings > Notifications > Show Previews > Never.
Settings > Safari > Auto-Fill > Toggle off for everything.
Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock > Never. You don’t want the iPad going to sleep.
Settings > Display & Brightness > Brightness > Set to Maximum. As it will be poolside in the sun, you’ll want the brightness up as high as possible.
Settings > iTunes & App Stores > Updates > Toggle On. This should be on by default, but make sure that Updates is on so the Member Check In app is always updated.

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iPad Settings to make sure members don’t leave the app

Here’s the most important step – setting up Guided Access. This prevents members (let’s face it, kids) from monkeying around with the iPad.

Settings > General > Accessibility > Guided Access (at the very bottom). Toggle On.
Set a Passcode.
Exit Settings and open Member Check In.
Now triple-click the iPad’s home button. Guided Access will now be on for this app. Which just means the app can’t be closed without triple-clicking the home button again and then entering the passcode.

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New in iOS version 1.3 of the Pool Dues Member Check In App!

You can now enter a special login (provided by us), to enable “Kiosk Mode”. This allows your neighborhood pool / tennis club to place an iPad at your front gate or desk to allow members to quickly browse their name and check-in using their personal PIN code.

About Kiosk Mode

When I first thought about creating a Member Check In app for my pool, the kiosk version was the first thing that came to mind. Replace the tattered old paper guestbook with a fancy iPad to better encourage people to sign in. And of course, tie it all into the billing backend, which our pool sorely needed (i.e., no paper checks).

As I began building the backend, adding features, and tinkering with the app, I started to realize I was more interested in the possibilities of the Member Check In app for individual users. Primarily for the social aspects. I loved the idea of being somewhere other than the pool and seeing who was there. And from that, other ideas started coming to me about the news section, sponsor section, and ways to better lead people to pay guests fees or shop.

But Kiosk-mode was always on the drawing board, and part of the fun of working with our Free-Trial Pools is hearing what they want, and a couple of them really expressed interest in getting this live. Cut to today’s launch!

Spin the wheel of members!

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Kiosk mode is really pretty simple, as it’s main function is to check members in as quick as possible. Obviously, you don’t want people lingering at the front desk any longer than needed.

So, unlike the personal version, where pool members can check in with a quick status update, in Kiosk mode they simply enter their PIN. I even thought about removing the PIN option, but then some bored kid could come up to the device and just check in every member for fun and prompt emails to them to pay for guests.

Speaking of which, members can still note that they are bringing guests, and they can still toggle on a privacy option. This hides their status at the pool from other users of the Member Check In app (at my pool we joke it’s the Hide-From-Your-Spouse toggle). If a member toggles on that they’ve brought a guest, that is noted within the picker directory of the app. There are three notable icons…

– Member is checked in today

– Member brought guests

(paid) – Member brought guests and paid via PayPal

– Member was checked in, but has checked out (or gone private)

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Guest Fees

If a member toggles on that they’ve brought a guest, obviously you don’t want the kiosk itself to send them to a payment page. Again, you don’t want people lingering at the front gate. Plus, as a shared device, you don’t want people accidentally saving payment info on it.

Since the Kiosk already has member emails on file, we simply prompt the member to send themselves an email reminder which contains a link to pay via PayPal from your portal. This way they can go sit down, unpack, and pay when ready.

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Keeping members honest

The picker directory of members gives everyone a kind of “bird’s eye view” of who’s currently at the club or was at the club. Including who brought guests. So, when a member checks in with guests, their name in the picker changes to ” + “. But if the member pays guest fees through your Pool Dues billing portal, their name changes to include ” + (paid)”.

Plus, the bottom of the Kiosk screen will show more details. Here are two examples….

“Member checked in at 3:47 and brought guests”

“Member checked in at 3:47. Paid $6 via PayPal for guests”

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A little effort goes a long way…

Most pools already rely on members self-policing themselves when it comes to guest fees. If someone wants to be dishonest and bring 5 guests without paying, there’s usually very little to stop them. And sometimes people want to be honest, but they don’t have paper money for the “honor system” cash box. Lifeguards aren’t there to enforce guest fees or even check guest bracelets (they are paid to save lives and check chemical levels, not police member honesty). And other members aren’t going to confront each other about paying for their guests.

The Member Check In app in kiosk mode (or in individual user mode) simply adds a little transparency to the honor system. What will drive members to pay for their guests is two-fold…

1. Since the app shows members have paid via PayPal (and how much), this allows people to show off that they’ve actually paid. “See those 5 extra crazy boys in the pool, I did actually pay for them.”

2. Your pool looks high-tech as ! Members don’t know that everything is still essentially run on the honor system. So if it appears your pool is trying to get money for guest fees, people are going to pay those guest fees. Especially if it’s easy (and cashless).

One final thought: The opposite applies to point 2. If you don’t make ANY effort to collect guest fees, no one is ever going to pay them.

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Once your pool or club has decided to invest in an iPad and a secure locking kiosk case, you’ll just need to enable Kiosk Mode in the Member Check In app and then make sure members can’t mess around with the iPad.

On this page, we’ll go step-by-step through the settings we recommend for kiosk mode. If you haven’t bought a locking case yet, we recommend searching Amazon for “iPad kiosk case”, and you’ll find plenty of options.

That iPad should go back to its original factory status at that point (where it greets you with a “Hello” screen).

If you aren’t currently at your pool or club when you set up the iPad, just remember you’ll need to connect the device to the club’s wifi. Otherwise, the app can’t connect to the net and check in members!

Download Member Check In (tap here) to an iPad. This is a free app, so you shouldn’t need to add any payment info to the App Store before downloading.

Open the app and search for your pool.

The next screen will ask for your email and PIN, which you’ll get in the next step.

Login into your Pool Dues portal (the footer menu has a link to login). After logging in, the footer menu has links only visible to admins. Tap Kiosk PIN.

Go back to the app and enter the email and PIN.

You’re done!

Before we make sure members can’t leave the Member Check In app, let’s toggle a few more recommended settings for kiosk mode.

Settings > Notifications > Touch ID & Passcode > Turn Passcode Off . If the iPad restarts (because it ran out of power), you’ll want the lifeguards to be able to restart the iPad and get right back into the app.

Settings > Notifications > Show Previews > Never.

Settings > Safari > Auto-Fill > Toggle off for everything.

Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock > Never. You don’t want the iPad going to sleep.

Settings > Display & Brightness > Brightness > Set to Maximum. As it will be poolside in the sun, you’ll want the brightness up as high as possible.

Settings > iTunes & App Stores > Updates > Toggle On. This should be on by default, but make sure that Updates is on so the Member Check In app is always updated.

Here’s the most important step – setting up Guided Access. This prevents members (let’s face it, kids) from monkeying around with the iPad.

Settings > General > Accessibility > Guided Access (at the very bottom). Toggle On.

Set a Passcode.

Exit Settings and open Member Check In.

Now triple-click the iPad’s home button. Guided Access will now be on for this app. Which just means the app can’t be closed without triple-clicking the home button again and then entering the passcode.