📱 Getting Started
Install on Android
BazaarPOS Mobile is not published on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store — you install it by downloading the Android APK file directly from the BazaarPOS website and allowing your phone to install it, then signing in with the same phone-number account used everywhere else.
📍 Menu path: Getting Started → Install on Android
👤 Who uses it: Shop owner, staff, or delivery/waiter staff installing the mobile app on their phone
Overview
The BazaarPOS mobile app for Android is distributed as a direct APK download from the Downloads page on the BazaarPOS website — it is not listed on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. iOS is not currently offered; this guide covers Android.
Because it is installed outside the Play Store, Android will ask you to allow "install from unknown sources" the first time — this is a normal one-time permission for the app/browser you used to download it, not a sign that anything is wrong.
On first launch, you sign in with the same phone-number + one-time-code account used on Windows Desktop and the web trial — see Sign Up & Log In for that flow in full.
By default, the app is ready to connect to a cloud-hosted BazaarPOS backend out of the box. If your shop instead runs its own BazaarPOS Desktop as the backend (on your shop Wi-Fi/LAN, or on your own server), you point the app at that instead — see the workflow below.
Once signed in, the app can pull your shop's data down for full offline use — after that, day-to-day billing and lookups work with or without an internet/Wi-Fi connection.
Before You Start
- An Android phone or tablet. (iOS/iPhone is not currently supported.)
- Enough free storage for the APK download and app install.
- If connecting to your own shop's BazaarPOS Desktop rather than the cloud, that PC must be running and reachable on the same Wi-Fi/network as the phone.
Step-by-Step Guide
1 Download and install the APK
- On your Android phone, go to the Downloads page on the BazaarPOS website and download the Android APK for BazaarPOS Mobile.
- Open the downloaded file. If Android blocks the install with an "unknown sources" warning, follow the prompt to allow installs from the app you used to download it (e.g. your browser or file manager) — this is a one-time setting per app.
- Once installed, open BazaarPOS Mobile from your app drawer.
2 Sign in for the first time
- Enter your phone number and the one-time code (OTP) sent to it — the same account and process described in Sign Up & Log In.
- If this phone number is linked to more than one business, you'll be asked to pick which one to open.
💡 This is the exact same account as Windows Desktop and the web trial — you do not create a separate "mobile account".
3 Point the app at your own shop server instead of the cloud (only if you run your own backend)
- Skip this entirely if your shop simply uses the cloud-hosted BazaarPOS backend — the app already works with that by default.
- If your shop instead runs BazaarPOS Desktop as its own server (Full or Server Only mode) on your shop Wi-Fi, open Settings → Network & Sync after logging in once, and enter that PC's local address — this does not erase anything already on your phone.
- Alternatively, on the very first login screen, a QR/manual server-address entry screen is reachable via the "Start from beginning" reset option — use this only if you have not logged in yet and know you need a different server, since it clears the app's local data first.
💡 Today, changing the server before your very first login only has this one, data-clearing path — if you're not sure yet, it is simpler to log in first with the default, then correct the server address afterwards from Settings → Network & Sync, which does not clear anything.
4 Grant permissions the app needs
- Allow Camera access when prompted, if you plan to use barcode/QR scanning at billing.
- Allow Bluetooth access when prompted, if you plan to connect a Bluetooth thermal printer.
- These prompts appear the first time each feature is used, not all at once on install.
5 Work offline
- After signing in, use the Bootstrap/Sync option (in Settings → Network & Sync) to pull your shop's products, customers and other data down to the phone.
- From then on, billing and lookups keep working even without Wi-Fi or mobile data; changes sync back automatically once you're back online.
Every Field & Button, Explained
| Field / Button | What it does |
|---|---|
Install unknown apps permission | A one-time Android setting allowing the specific app you used to download the APK (browser/file manager) to install other apps — required since BazaarPOS is not distributed via the Play Store. |
Phone number sign-in | The same account system used on every BazaarPOS platform — see Sign Up & Log In for the full flow. |
Settings → Network & Sync | Where you change which backend server (cloud or your own shop PC) this phone connects to, after you have already logged in once — does not erase your data. |
Camera permission | Needed for barcode/QR scanning at billing. |
Bluetooth permissions | Needed to discover and connect a Bluetooth thermal printer. |
Tips & Best Practices
- Download the APK directly on the phone itself (rather than transferring it from a PC) — it's the simplest path through Android's "unknown sources" prompt.
- If your shop uses its own BazaarPOS Desktop as the server, log in with the default cloud connection first, then switch the server address afterwards from Settings → Network & Sync — it's the non-destructive path.
- Since there is no Play Store auto-update, check the Downloads page occasionally for a newer APK if you want the latest features.
- Run the offline sync/bootstrap once right after logging in, even if you always expect to have Wi-Fi — it means billing never stalls if the connection briefly drops.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Android says "App not installed" or blocks the install.
Go to your phone's Settings → Apps → (the browser or file manager you used to download the file) → and allow "Install unknown apps" for that app, then try opening the downloaded file again.
I can't find BazaarPOS on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
BazaarPOS Mobile is not published on either app store — it is only available as a direct Android APK download from the BazaarPOS website's Downloads page. iOS is not currently supported.
The app won't connect / I can't reach my shop's own server.
If your shop runs its own BazaarPOS Desktop instead of the cloud backend, make sure that PC is turned on and the phone is on the same Wi-Fi network, then set the correct address under Settings → Network & Sync (after logging in) — or use the reset/QR path from the login screen if you have not logged in yet.
Barcode scanning doesn't open the camera.
Check that Camera permission is granted to the app under your phone's Settings → Apps → BazaarPOS → Permissions.
My Bluetooth thermal printer won't connect.
Check that Bluetooth permissions are granted to the app, that the printer is already paired in your phone's Bluetooth settings, and that the printer is powered on and in range.
How do I update the app?
Since it is not distributed via the Play Store, there is no automatic app-store update — download the latest APK from the Downloads page and install it over the existing app (your data is not affected).