Joining the OPEN orders alpha: unpaid API orders as open tickets on Square Register

Questions
1

Hi Square team,

In this thread( Is there an equivalent supported mechanism for Square Register and Square Handheld? ), said OPEN order workflows are “still considered alpha (not yet beta).” In this one, Create Open Order (Open Ticket) from API, she said unpaid API orders “can surface on Square devices in some configurations.” We’d like to join that alpha, or learn how to request access.

What we’re building: RoundOver is a booking system for activity venues (axe-throwing lanes, golf simulator bays, etc.), connected to Square through OAuth. It’s live in production at a venue that uses Square Register. Guests book online and pay a deposit. At the venue, the rest of the booking plus food and drinks go on one tab at the Register.

What already works:

We read the Register’s open tickets with SearchOrders (state OPEN, with a ticket_name).

When a group checks in, or staff start a walk-in, we add the booking’s catalog-linked line items to the group’s ticket with UpdateOrder.

Those lines stay on the ticket, card tabs included. Staff add food and drinks and take payment at the Register, and the payment.* webhooks close the booking.

What’s missing: staff still have to open the ticket by hand so we can find it. An OPEN order we create with a ticket_name never appears on the Register; we tested this in production on 2026-10-01.

Our questions:

How do we get into the OPEN orders alpha, and does it include creating unpaid orders that show as open tickets on Square Register?

What are the “configurations” where unpaid API orders surface on devices: POS mode, settings, order fields (ticket_name, source, fulfillment type), or device type?

The Update orders docs say UpdateOrder “cannot update orders made in the Square Point of Sale application,” but it works for this seller today. Is updating Register tickets part of the alpha, and can we count on it continuing to work?

If the Register saves a ticket right after we’ve added lines to it, are our lines guaranteed to be kept? Or should we keep re-reading the order to check?

Is this connected to the IN_STORE fulfillment closed beta? We’ve also applied to that.

We can test in sandbox and production right away and give detailed feedback. Thanks!

3

Hello! We appreciate hearing your use case for the open order alpha, but unfortunately we are not accepting any new apps at this time.

Your current work around sounds like the only path forward based on the use case. Orders created via the API only show up in the POS when they are paid (0$ amount due) which defeats the purpose of your need.