Deploy your app in the Dashboard

Learn how to deploy your Android app to your devices in the Dashboard.

After Stripe reviews and approves your app for deployment, we notify you by email in the Dashboard. You can then follow the instructions below to deploy your app.

During deployment, your app is immediately sent and downloaded to your device, and the device reboots to install it. Devices reboot every 24 hours and apply any updates automatically. To check for and apply updates immediately, you can manually reboot your device.

You can deploy new and updated apps for Terminal devices in the Dashboard.

Add or edit a deploy group

Before you can add or edit a deploy group, you must create a Terminal location and add readers to that location. You can then assign locations to a deploy group, meaning all readers in the location receive updates from that deploy group.

After you create a deploy group, you can edit it at any time by selecting it.

Add a deploy group

1. On the Software tab, click Manage deploy groups .
2. Click Add deploy group .
3. Complete the following steps in the Add deploy group drawer:

• Enter a group name.
• Choose your Terminal device type.
• If desired, select the Default deploy group checkbox to create a default deploy group. A default deploy group automatically contains all locations that aren’t explicitly assigned to a different deploy group. You can create one default deploy group per device type.
• Click Done .

Manage deploy groups

1. On the Software tab, click Manage deploy groups .
2. Select the deploy group from the list.
3. Click Add locations .
4. Choose the locations to add.
5. Click Done .

Manage deploy groups with direct charges

Platforms can add locations owned by Connected Accounts to the platform’s deploy groups.

1. On the Software tab, click Manage deploy groups .
2. Select the deploy group from the list.
3. Click Add locations .
4. Select the account that you want to add locations from in the account dropdown. You must select an account before adding locations.
5. Choose the locations to add.
6. Click Done .

Deploy an app version

You can deploy your app after a Stripe reviewer approves it.

In the Dashboard, you can deploy apps in one of three ways:

• From the deploy group
• From the Software tab
• From the app itself

From the deploy group details page

1. On the Software tab, click Manage deploy groups .
2. On the deploy group details page, click Deploy and New deployment .
3. Choose a version for each approved app you want to deploy, then click Next . You can’t deploy an earlier version of an app—the app version must be newer than the currently deployed app.
4. Select a rollout plan and a mandatory update configuration, then click Next .
5. Choose your preferred kiosk app, then click Next . The Stripe reader launches this app when it turns on and after each transaction.
6. Confirm the deployment details, then click Deploy . The app deploys according to the mandatory update configuration.

From the Software tab

1. On the Software tab, select the apps you want to deploy.
2. Click Deploy .
3. Choose a version for each app, then click Next . You can’t deploy an earlier version of an app—the app version must be newer than the currently deployed app.
4. Choose the deploy group, then click Next .
5. Select a rollout plan and a mandatory update configuration, then click Next .
6. Choose your preferred kiosk app, then click Next . The Stripe reader launches this app when it turns on and after each transaction. If you only have one app to deploy, choose that app.
7. Confirm the deployment details, then click Deploy . The app deploys according to the mandatory update configuration.

From the app details page

1. On the Software tab, click the app that you want to deploy.
2. On the app details page, click Deploy version .
3. Choose a version of the approved app and each additional app you want to deploy, then click Next . You can’t deploy an earlier version of an app—the app version must be newer than the currently deployed app.
4. Choose the deploy group, then click Next .
5. Select a rollout plan and a mandatory update configuration, then click Next .
6. Choose your preferred kiosk app, then click Next . The Stripe reader launches this app when it turns on and after each transaction. If you only have one app to deploy, choose that app.
7. Confirm the deployment details, then click Deploy . The app deploys according to the mandatory update configuration.

Caution

Updates will be immediately enforced in the following situations, even if you haven’t configured them to apply immediately:

• The device is newly unboxed.
• A device _ asset in your deploy plan is not already installed on the device.
• The device has been offline or inactive for an extended period.

These mandatory updates keep all devices secure and up to date.

A mandatory update can also fail to install.

Note

If a device can’t install an update after three attempts, users can postpone the update to continue processing payments. This ensures that users can maintain payment capabilities in the event of technical difficulties beyond their control.

Uninstall an app

You can uninstall an app from a deploy group.

Warning

Don’t uninstall an app to install an older version. Upload the earlier build with a higher version number and deploy the new app version. Devices with newer installs won’t accept the downgrade.

1. On the Software tab, click Manage deploy groups .
2. On the deploy group details page, in the top right corner of the Target Assets section, click the overflow menu ( ) then Select apps to uninstall .
3. Choose the apps you want to uninstall from this deploy group, then click Next .
4. Select a rollout plan and a mandatory update configuration, then click Next .
5. Choose your preferred kiosk app, then click Next . The Stripe reader launches this app when it turns on and after each transaction. Don’t select the app you’re uninstalling.
6. Confirm the uninstallation details, then click Deploy . The app deploys according to the mandatory update configuration.

Archive an app

Archiving an app or app version hides it from the deploy interface without uninstalling it from devices where it’s already active. You can unarchive at any time to make it available for deployment again.

To archive an app, you must first archive all of its versions. To unarchive an app version, you must first unarchive the app.

Archive an app version

1. On the Software tab, click the app.
2. Use the dropdown menu to choose the version you want to archive.
3. Click Archive version .
4. Confirm the action.

Archive an app

1. On the Software tab, click the app you want to archive.
2. On the app details page, click Archive in the top right.
3. Confirm the action.

Unarchive an app or app version

1. On the Software tab, navigate to the archived app or archived version as described above.
2. Click Unarchive or Unarchive version .
3. Confirm the action.

Share apps across multiple accounts

Use this feature if you have multiple Stripe accounts and want to deploy the same app across accounts. Sharing one app across accounts avoids constraints with package name uniqueness and duplicate app reviews.

To create and manage one deployment across accounts in your organization, use Organization Deployments.

Designate one account to create and manage the app. Only the account that owns the app can upload new app versions, but other accounts can view and deploy the app by searching for the app ID.

1. On the Software tab, click the overflow menu ( ).
2. Click Search for app .
3. Enter the app ID and click View app details .
4. Click Deploy version and enter the deployment details.

Deploy group best practices

You can sort devices into different deploy groups to roll out software independently and isolate fault in case of any issues. You might have fewer or more deploy groups based on tooling, risk tolerance, and specific business needs.

We recommend the following deploy group setup:

• Alpha : Contains locations that correspond to your internal devkits or internal production devices.
• Beta : Contains a small number of actual user locations. You can randomly choose these locations, select them based on meaningful criteria (for example, less risky locations), or have users opt in to the Beta deploy group based on their risk tolerance.
• General : Contains all remaining actual user locations, except those in the Alpha or Beta groups. You can use a default deploy group to avoid manually assigning each remaining location.

When your app is ready for deployment, promote deploy groups from least to most risky:

Deploy an app to a deploy group in progressive stages

After your deploy groups are set up, use progressive deployments to roll out your application to readers within a deploy group in stages. Each stage corresponds to a percentage of the deploy group’s readers that’s greater than the previous stage’s percentage, with the final stage always at 100%. You can use one of our predefined plans or create your own custom plan.

Set up a progressive deployment

To set up a progressive deployment:

1. Navigate to the desired app details page, click Deploy version , then select the intended app version and deploy group.
2. Select a custom or predefined plan under Progressive Deployments .

• After creating the deploy plan, you can’t edit the percentage associated with each stage.

3. Confirm your deploy plan, then click Deploy .
4. The deployment starts according to the percentage specified for the initial stage.

• If you selected a predefined plan, the deployment starts at 0%. You need to manually advance to the next stage for any readers to receive the new version of the Terminal app.

5. To advance a deployment, click Update under Deployed Group on the app details page, or click Edit deployment on the deploy group details page. Confirm the next stage to advance the plan.
6. To pause a deployment, click Update (or Edit deployment if on the deploy group page) to open a drawer, then click Pause . This stops the rollout of your application to any additional readers.

• Pausing the rollout doesn’t affect devices that have already received the app. Devices that are currently downloading or installing the new app version continue the process.

Keep the following in mind when using progressive deployments:

• Deployments don’t automatically advance. If you never manually advance the deploy plan, the deployment remains at its current percentage.
• Readers are randomly selected within a deploy group for inclusion in a stage of the progressive deploy plan. For example, if Version 2.0 of an app is currently deployed to 40% of Deploy Group A, then 40% of readers in Deploy Group A have Version 2.0 of the app and 60% have the version prior to 2.0.
• As the deployment advances, the group of readers receiving the new version includes all readers that received it in the previous stage.
• You need to select the desired progressive deploy plan each time you create a new deploy plan. Rollout stages don’t persist between old and new deployment plans.

Next step

• Monitor your deployment