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Set up your Android kiosk

Turn a shared tablet into a clock-in station with EasyHours Kiosk and app pinning.

Follow steps 1 to 6, then leave the employee list open for your team.

Before you start

  • An Android tablet with Android 8 or later, Wi-Fi and Google Play.
  • A computer signed in to EasyHours as an owner or administrator.
  • Your employees already added to the right EasyHours company.
  • A tablet screen lock set to a PIN, pattern or password. Keep it private.
  • A charger. Keep the tablet plugged in during the working day.

1. Install EasyHours Kiosk

  1. On the tablet, open EasyHours Kiosk on Google Play, or search for EasyHours Kiosk in the Play Store.
  2. Check the name is EasyHours Kiosk: Time Clock. Tap Install, then Open. If it is already installed, tap Open.

1 Check the app name. 2 Tap Open after installing. This tablet already has the app.

You should see Turn this tablet into a time clock. Keep the app open while you prepare the kiosk on your computer.

Blue boxes and numbers show where to click or tap. All company and employee examples use demo data with plain avatars. Android settings are shown on a Samsung tablet with Android 16; other tablets may use different names.

2. Create a kiosk on your computer

In the EasyHours web app, select the right company. Open Company, then Kiosks. If an administrator has already created a kiosk for this tablet, use that one and go to step 3.

  1. Click Create kiosk.

1 Click Create kiosk on the Kiosks page.

  1. Enter a clear Kiosk name, such as Front entrance. Add a location if it helps you identify the tablet.

2 Enter a name for this tablet.

  1. Keep All employees, or choose One team if only that team should appear on the tablet. Leave the project and task options at their defaults unless you need to record time against a project.

3 Choose who will appear on the tablet.

  1. Scroll to the bottom of the form and click Create kiosk.

4 Click Create kiosk at the bottom of the form.

You should see a QR code. You can open it again in step 4.

Create one kiosk for each tablet. Connecting another tablet to the same kiosk replaces its current connection.

3. Prepare employee PINs

Each employee uses their own 4-digit kiosk PIN. They tap their name before entering it.

On the Kiosks page, click Employee PINs.

  1. Find an employee. If they already have a PIN, give it to them privately. To set or change it, click Set PIN or Change beside their name.

1 Click Change beside the employee. A person without a PIN has Set PIN instead.

  1. Enter four digits in Four-digit PIN.
  2. Enter the same digits in Confirm PIN.
  3. Click Save PIN. Repeat for everyone who will use this kiosk.

2 Enter four digits. 3 Repeat them. 4 Click Save PIN.

Give at least one owner or administrator a kiosk PIN and include them in the kiosk’s employee list. They will need it to open Kiosk settings in the app.

The employee PIN is different from the tablet’s screen lock. Employees need their own kiosk PIN; only the person managing the tablet needs its screen lock.

4. Connect the tablet to your company

On your computer

  1. On Kiosks, find your kiosk and click its … button.
  2. Choose Kiosk link and QR code. Leave the QR code open on your computer.

1 Open your kiosk menu. 2 Choose Kiosk link and QR code. Your QR code appears in this dialog. Use your own code, not this example.

On the tablet

  1. In EasyHours Kiosk, tap Scan QR code. Allow camera access if asked.
  2. Point the tablet’s camera at the QR code on your computer. Move the tablet until the code fits on screen.

3 Tap Scan QR code inside EasyHours Kiosk. The recovery code option is an alternative if scanning fails.

You should now see your company, kiosk name and employee list. Check the names are correct before continuing.

Use your own QR code, scanned inside EasyHours Kiosk. Keep it private. Try the demo does not record your company’s hours.

If scanning fails, see Connect without the camera further down this page.

5. Turn on app pinning

App pinning keeps the kiosk on screen. You need to turn on both settings below before pinning the app.

Open the tablet’s Settings. On Samsung, go to Security and privacy, then More security settings. Tap the words Allow apps to be pinned, not just the switch beside them.

On other tablets, search Settings for App pinning or Screen pinning.

  1. Turn on Allow apps to be pinned (or App pinning).

1 Turn on app pinning. Top of the Samsung pinning settings screen.

  1. On the same screen, turn on Lock tablet after unpinning. Other tablets call this Ask for PIN before unpinning or use similar wording. If asked, set up a screen lock.

2 Turn on Lock tablet after unpinning. Lower down on the same screen.

The second setting makes the tablet lock when someone unpins the app. Without it, anyone could leave the kiosk and use the tablet.

Keep the tablet’s screen lock private. It is separate from the 4-digit PINs employees use in EasyHours.

6. Pin the app and check it works

Open EasyHours Kiosk and make sure your employee list is showing.

  1. Open Recent apps using the three lines or square button at the bottom of the screen. With gesture navigation, swipe up from the bottom to the middle and hold. Tap the EasyHours Kiosk icon above its preview.
  2. Tap Pin this app (or Pin).

1 Tap the kiosk icon above its preview in Recent apps. 2 Tap Pin this app in the menu.

  1. If App is pinned appears, tap OK to finish.

3 Tap OK to finish pinning the app.

Check before leaving it for your team

  • Press Home. The tablet should stay in the kiosk app.
  • Try unpinning using the instructions under Help and everyday use. The tablet should lock and require its screen lock. If it does not, check the second switch in step 5.
  • Unlock the tablet, open EasyHours Kiosk and pin it again.
  • Ask an employee to tap their name and enter their PIN. Their clock-in or clock-out screen should open. Return to the employee list.

The kiosk is ready. Leave the employee list open, with power and Wi-Fi connected. The app keeps the screen awake.

Help and everyday use

Leave the kiosk when you need to

To unpin, use the method for your tablet:

  • Three navigation buttons: hold Back and Recent apps together.
  • Two navigation buttons: hold Back and Home together.
  • Gesture navigation: swipe up from the bottom and hold.

Enter the tablet’s screen lock when asked. To leave the tablet ready for employees again, open EasyHours Kiosk and pin it.

After a restart: unlock the tablet, open EasyHours Kiosk and pin it again. Pinning does not stay on after a restart.

Connect without the camera

Use this if scanning does not work, or the app asks to connect again.

  1. On your computer, open Kiosks, click your kiosk’s … menu, then Recovery PIN. If no PIN is shown, click Create recovery PIN.

Find your own 16-digit Recovery PIN in the web app. This code is an example.

  1. On the tablet’s welcome screen, tap Enter recovery code. Enter all 16 digits, then tap Connect. The web app calls this a Recovery PIN; it is the same code.

If something is missing

An employee is not listed: check they are active in EasyHours and included in this kiosk’s selected team or All employees.

An employee’s PIN fails: check their PIN under Kiosks > Employee PINs. The tablet screen lock and the 16-digit recovery code will not work as an employee PIN.

Pin is missing from Recent apps: turn on app pinning in step 5, then reopen the kiosk. On Samsung, choose Pin this app; Lock this app is a different option.

More help: Pin and unpin screens on Android or contact EasyHours Support.

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