Changing or updating the API key on Shyfter POS

The API key is what links the Shyfter POS tablet to your Shyfter account. It determines which establishment's employees the tablet displays, and where the clockings are sent. You only need to change it in a few specific cases: you are moving the tablet to another establishment, you want to restrict it to one section, or the tablet was set up on the wrong account by mistake.

An API key does not expire and does not renew itself. If the tablet used to work and no longer does, the key is rarely the cause: start by checking the internet connection.

Where to find the API key

From the web platform, go to Settings ⚙️ → Time clock → Shyfter POS. The API key section is at the bottom of the page: the key is displayed there, with a button to copy it in one click.

This key belongs to the establishment currently selected at the top of the platform. If you manage several establishments, make sure the right one is selected before copying the key, otherwise the tablet will display the team of another location.

The API key per section

Just below, the API key per section section lets you restrict the tablet to a single section. Choose a section in the dropdown: a specific key then appears, made of the usual key followed by #sectionId=.... With this key, only the employees of that section appear on the tablet, which is handy when each service (kitchen, floor, stockroom) has its own tablet.

This option only appears if sections are enabled on your account and at least one section has been created. To go back to a tablet that displays the whole establishment, simply clear the dropdown and use the standard API key.

Replacing the key on the tablet

The POS app is deliberately locked: once it has been set up, it stays on the clocking screen so that an employee cannot leave it by accident during the service. Changing the key therefore goes through a reset of the tablet.

1. On the tablet, go back to the standby screen (the one showing the time in large characters and inviting you to tap the screen).
2. Press and hold for about 3 seconds on the version number, written in very small characters in the bottom left corner of the screen.
3. The Reset this tablet? window appears, warning you that the API key will be erased and that the tablet will need to be set up again. Confirm with Reset.
4. The tablet returns to the welcome screen. Tap I'm already a Shyfter client.
5. On the Enter your API key screen, type or paste the new key, then tap Set up the tablet.

After a few seconds, the tablet displays the name of the establishment and the list of employees is loaded. If you used a key per section, the name of the section appears under the name of the establishment, on the standby screen.

The Cancel button in the confirmation window lets you leave without erasing anything, if you opened the window by mistake.

Good to know before resetting

• Do it outside service hours, when nobody is in the middle of clocking: the tablet starts from a blank screen for the duration of the setup.
• The clockings already recorded are not lost: they are kept on your Shyfter account, not on the tablet.
• Have the new key ready before resetting (copied into an email, a message, or written down), because once the old one has been erased the tablet cannot display anything without a key.
• The display preferences of the tablet (accent colour, background, language) are reset to those defined for the new establishment.

If the key is refused

Two messages can appear under the setup button:

Invalid API key The key is not recognised. Copy it again from Settings ⚙️ → Time clock → Shyfter POS using the copy button rather than typing it manually, and check that no space or line break has slipped in at the beginning or the end. If you are using a key per section, the #sectionId=... part must be kept as it is.

Could not reach the server The tablet cannot reach Shyfter. Check the Wi-Fi and avoid public networks with a login portal (hotels, cafes), which often block synchronisation. Then try again with the same key.

If you have no API key at all, or if none is displayed in the settings, contact our team: the setup screen also shows the contact address.