Common issues and troubleshooting
Symptoms, causes, and fixes for issues we can verify in the product.
If your issue isn't here, email support@rowie.io with screenshots and the transaction ID (or session ID, or invoice number) where possible.
"Setup required" on Banking or Tap to Pay
The mobile POS Account screen shows a Setup required badge on the Banking row, and Tap to Pay stays disabled, until your Stripe account has finished onboarding and charges are enabled.
- Vendor portal, Banking (sidebar, FINANCE group), check the status.
- If onboarding isn't complete, run through Stripe's form. It will tell you exactly what's missing (ID, bank details, business info).
- First-time setups can take 1 to 2 days for Stripe to verify.
Your account is ready to charge once it shows as connected and Stripe has enabled charges. Both have to be true.
"Cannot delete location, it still has …"
The portal blocks location deactivation if there are dependent records. The exact message lists what's blocking:
- Open or in-progress table sessions. Settle or cancel them first.
- Menus, floor plans, active bookings, booking pages. Reassign to another location or delete them first.
- Only location in the org. You can't delete your last one.
Move the dependencies, then retry.
"Cannot delete menu with open sessions or tabs"
A menu won't delete while there are sessions or tabs still open against it. Settle or cancel them on the Tables page, then retry the delete. The same pattern applies to:
- Floor plans / tables with active sessions.
- Events / ticket tiers with sold tickets.
- Vendor subscription plans with active subscribers (cancel or migrate them first).
- Tip pools that aren't in draft. You can only delete pools while still in draft.
"Authentication failed" or stuck on a screen after long idle
Sessions expire after 15 minutes of inactivity. The mobile app and vendor portal both refresh automatically. If the refresh fails (e.g. your session has been idle for more than 7 days, or you logged in on another device and got kicked), you'll see an "Authentication failed" toast and bounce to login.
- Mobile only: when you log in on a second device, the first device gets signed out automatically. This is by design (stolen-phone protection).
- The vendor portal lets you keep multiple tabs open without kicking other sessions.
If you're stuck mid-screen, log out and back in.
Closing a tab failed / "Payment failed"
When Rowie charges a saved card to close a tab and Stripe declines it, the tab stays open so you can retry. Common causes:
- Card requires the cardholder to re-authenticate for each charge.
- Issuer fraud rule on off-session charges.
- Insufficient funds.
Known limitation: if the first attempt to close a tab is declined, retrying with the same card right away returns the same decline for up to 24 hours. Workaround: take a fresh Tap to Pay payment instead of closing via the saved card, or have the customer save a new card.
"Payment setup required" in checkout
Mobile POS shows this when you try to charge but Stripe isn't fully set up. Same fix as the "Setup required" badge above. Finish Banking onboarding.
Receipts: sending and resending
Tap to Pay receipts have to be sent explicitly. They don't auto-deliver from Stripe for in-person card transactions.
- On the Payment Result screen right after a charge, enter the customer's email and tap Send receipt.
- Later, open any transaction in History, then Send receipt.
If receipts aren't arriving, check spam first, then verify the email is correct on the transaction.
Realtime data looks stale
The app pushes live updates for orders, sessions, tabs, menus, bookings, invoices, and pay runs.
If something looks stale:
- Pull to refresh on the screen (mobile) or reload the page (vendor portal).
- Sign out and back in to force a fresh connection.
- Check that you have network connectivity.
The app and vendor portal both reconnect automatically.
"Too many requests" on a public menu, table, or booking page
To prevent abuse, public menu, table, and booking pages limit how many actions one device can fire in a short window. Normal customer traffic won't hit this. If you see it during testing, wait a minute and try again.
Tap to Pay button is greyed out
- Apple is still approving your device. The first time on a new Stripe account, Apple takes 1 to 2 days to enable Tap to Pay on the device.
- Banking not active. See "Setup required" above.
- Wrong device. Tap to Pay needs iPhone XS or newer on iOS 16.4 or later with a passcode, or an NFC-capable Android device on Android 8.0 or later.
Account flagged for review
If Rowie's fraud checks notice unusual activity (early warnings from card issuers, an unusually high rate of blocked or failed charges), your account moves to a review state and auto-payouts pause. Contact support. Once Rowie staff approve the account, payouts resume. You can keep using the rest of the product in the meantime.