How to Enable the Always On Toggle on Your Payfast POS Device

How to Enable the Always On Toggle on Your Payfast POS Device

The Always On feature keeps your Payfast POS device awake. This is especially useful for merchants using an in person integration setup that rely on real‑time transaction prompts.

Follow the steps below to enable or disable this feature on your device.

What the Always On Feature Does

Enabling Always On will:

  • Prevent the device from going into sleep mode so it can always receive push transactions.
  • Keep a background instance of the Payfast app running to keep the screen awake.
  • Will impact battery life quicker as this will keep the display on the device on without going to sleep mode. 
Alert

Before You Begin

  • Make sure your device is plugged into power when using Always On, as the feature increases battery usage.
  • Confirm that your device is connected to the internet (Wi‑Fi or mobile data).

How to Enable the Always On Toggle

  1. Wake up the device and navigate to the Payfast App home screen.
  2. Tap the Settings Icon (⚙) on the home screen.
  3. Select Manage Devices from the menu.
  4. Look for the option labeled Always On.
  5. Tap the toggle switch to turn it ON.
    • When turned on, a Battery Life Warning message will appear reminding you to keep the device plugged in.
    • Tap 'Ok' to proceed.
  6. The toggle will now display as enabled, and your device will remain awake for push transactions.

How to Disable the Always On Toggle

You may want to disable this feature to conserve battery life when real‑time push transactions are not required.

  1. Wake up the device and navigate to the Payfast App home screen.
  2. Tap the Settings Icon (⚙) on the home screen.
  3. Select Manage Devices from the menu.
  4. Look for the option labeled Always On.
  5. Tap the toggle switch to turn it OFF.
  6. The toggle will now display as disabled, and your device will now go to sleep after 30 seconds if it is not in use.
Info

Frequently Asked Q
uestions

Will enabling Always On drain my battery faster?

Yes. Because the device stays awake, battery usage increases. A warning message will appear the first time you activate it. The device should remain plugged in while this feature is enabled. 

Do I need Always On for push transactions to work?

Yes. Some ERP-integrated merchants require the device to stay active to properly receive push transactions.

What happens if the device is off or asleep?

When Always On is disabled and the device enters sleep mode, the device will not poll for push transactions.