Dear Square Support Team,
We are experiencing intermittent latency issues with the Terminal API when initiating checkouts through our integration.
Normally, after we send a request via the Terminal API, the checkout screen appears on the terminal within a few seconds. However, in the past two days, we noticed that sometimes the terminal takes significantly longer (15–30 seconds or more) before displaying the payment screen. This delay does not occur every time, but when it does, it impacts the customer experience.
Here is a recent log example from my backend log for reference:
[2025-08-27 15:03:27.991] - Payment initialization success, checkoutId: jLbieq4jUlmqO
[2025-08-27 15:03:45.647] - Webhook received: CheckoutUpdate (status: IN_PROGRESS)
As you can see, there was almost 18 seconds between the initiation of the checkout and the Webhook update confirming it reached IN_PROGRESS status. In most cases, the screen shows up much faster (2–3 seconds).
We appreciate your assistance, as this intermittent lag directly affects the customer experience at checkout.
Best regards,
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Based on the information you’ve provided, the following documentation will help answer your question:
Additional Documentation
Payment API: Process Online and In-Person Payments
Capture a Transaction
View the API Logs
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Do you have the checkout_ids for the checkouts that were delayed? 
YES, I DO HAVE .
1: “id”: “cIPDv62sLnbqO”,
2: “id”: “k1V3yYzfFldqO”,
let me know if you need more info to address the issue, thx
For cIPDv62sLnbqO it was pushed to the device at 2025-08-27T22:34:32.368Z. The Terminal device acknowledged it at 2025-08-27T22:35:20.940Z. It was then cancled by the seller at 2025-08-27T22:36:42.847Z. So one second between events.
For k1V3yYzfFldqO text it was pushed to the device at 2025-08-27T23:39:44.584Z. The Terminal device acknowledged it at 2025-08-27T23:40:16.033Z. It was also then canceled by the seller at 2025-08-27T23:41:30.836Z.
WAIT…
YOU SAID “ For cIPDv62sLnbqO it was pushed to the device at 2025-08-27T22:34:32.368Z. The Terminal device acknowledged it at 2025-08-27T22:35:20.940Z.”
it was not one second, it is 48 seconds ? 
am i wrong
{
“merchant_id”: “*****”,
“type”: “terminal.checkout.updated”,
“event_id”: “******”,
“created_at”: “2025-08-27T22:35:21.018Z”,
“data”: {
“type”: “checkout”,
“id”: “cIPDv62sLnbqO”,
“object”: {
“checkout”: {
“amount_money”: {
“amount”: 2895,
“currency”: “USD”
},
“app_id”: “***************”,
“created_at”: “2025-08-27T22:34:32.106Z”,
“device_options”: {
“device_id”: “********************”,
“skip_receipt_screen”: true,
“tip_settings”: {
“allow_tipping”: true,
“custom_tip_field”: true,
“separate_tip_screen”: true,
“smart_tipping”: true,
“tip_percentages”: [
10,
15,
20
]
}
},
“id”: “cIPDv62sLnbqO”,
“location_id”: “********************”,
“payment_options”: {
“accept_partial_authorization”: true,
“autocomplete”: false,
“delay_action”: “COMPLETE”,
“delay_duration”: “PT1M”
},
“payment_type”: “CARD_PRESENT”,
“status”: “IN_PROGRESS”,
“updated_at”: “2025-08-27T22:35:21.018Z”
}
}
}
}
and.
“id”: “Q9fpVD9bqlnqO”,
“id”: “PeJvNEb8WFaqO”,
“id”: “jLbieq4jUlmqO”
“id”: “MvVXDHLNJbiqO”,
“id”: “FLtIrCMnH8jqO”,
I don’t have any checkout IDs to share at the moment, but I would like to add that we are experiencing this problem too at all of our locations. (Location IDs LTJJM6TXGSTRR L8MSBCS94TPG5 L5CDE0H03SSFF and LV6FK1MJ3AH1G )
We have found that when a terminal isn’t picking up a checkout promptly it is sometimes helpful to touch the screen.
Here is an example I have just witnessed: checkout ID WCy2iZH8IQmqO
The checkout was created at 2025-08-29T15:03:49.443Z
I was standing by the terminal at the time. It was on the idle screen, and it did not pick up the checkout until I double-tapped the screen with my finger.
The member of staff actually wanted to send the transaction to a different terminal, so they cancelled it from the point of sale. The terminal stayed on the “Present card” screen and did not cancel the transaction until I hit the “back” button on the screen.
The cancellation finally took effect at 2025-08-29T15:04:16.364Z. I know this doesn’t seem like long, but these operations normally take place almost instantly.
Another example, this time of a successful transaction that was “painfully slow” according to staff: checkout ID a5mxh34H9rhqO
The checkout was created at 2025-08-29T15:20:18.320Z and did not appear on the terminal until about 18 seconds later. The customer paid as soon as the prompt appeared and the payment completed at 2025-08-29T15:20:41.317Z
Checkouts are not the only operations to be slow. Terminal actions like “PING” are also sometimes delayed by tens of seconds. If you are waiting for one to complete, you can speed it up by tapping the screen.
The team has identified an issue and checkouts created on Terminal API may be slow to launch on their paired Terminal device. These delays should be intermittent. As a workaround buyers can tap the Terminal screen to launch Checkout more quickly. The team is working on a fix.