Kiosk Mode for Visitor Management – deskbird Help Center

Visitors Plus

A Visitors kiosk is a tablet at your office entrance where visitors check in on their own. Pre-registered visitors enter the visitor code from their invitation, and walk-in visitors register themselves. The host is notified automatically, visitors can sign required documents on the screen, and every check-in appears on the Visits page in real time.

This article explains how to pair a Visitors kiosk, how to manage it, how visitors use it and which devices are supported. Looking for tablets outside your meeting rooms? See Kiosk Mode for Meeting Rooms. For the full Visitor Management setup in order, see Visitors Plus: setup.

Before you start
Set up and pair a Visitors kiosk
Manage and disconnect kiosks
How visitors check in at the kiosk
Supported devices and system requirements
FAQs

1. Before you start

Plan: your company needs Visitors Plus. See Feature Availability.
Role: you need to be signed in as an admin to pair and manage devices.
Office: Visitor Management must be turned on for the office where the kiosk will stand. See Turn on Visitor Management for an office.
Default host: set a default host for the office in Admin > Visits: Settings (⚙️ gear icon), so someone is notified when a visitor doesn't know who they are visiting. See Settings for Visits.
Device: an Android tablet, an iPad or a device with a current Chrome browser, ideally with a screen of at least 10 inches. See Supported devices and system requirements.

2. Set up and pair a Visitors kiosk

All kiosks and displays are now managed from one central place in the web app: Admin > Kiosk & displays > Devices. From here you pair, configure, and manage every device in your company.

You can pair a Visitor Management Kiosk in two ways: enter the setup code in the Admin panel (no mobile app required), or scan the QR code with the deskbird mobile app.

💡 Tip: A step-by-step guide is also available directly on the Devices page — click How to connect kiosk in the top-right corner.

Step 1: (Optional) Install the deskbird mobile app on your smartphone

You only need the deskbird mobile app if you want to pair the kiosk by scanning the QR code. If you prefer code-based setup in the Admin panel, you can skip this step.

Step 2: Run the Kiosk App on the device

There are three ways to run the kiosk mode:

Install the deskbird Kiosk App from Google Play Store or Apple App Store

Once the kiosk is running (app or browser), you'll see a QR code and a setup code on the screen.

Step 3: Pair the device

Option A: Enter the setup code (Admin panel — no mobile app required)

On the kiosk device, copy the setup code shown next to the QR code (the session can time out — if it does, restart the kiosk screen to generate a new code).
In the web app, go to Admin > Kiosk & displays > Devices.
Click + Pair device.
On Input code, paste the code into Enter the code shown on your device, then click Next.
On Choose display type, select Visitors kiosk (Allow visitors to register, sign required documents, and check in independently), then click Next.
On Configure display, give the device a recognizable name, select the Office, and choose the Default host, then click Pair.

💡 Note: Only offices with a Visitor Management license can be selected (see Turn on Visitor Management for an office). The default host is notified for any visit where a contact person has not been assigned. It is the same setting as the office's default host in Admin > Visits: Settings, so whichever you change last applies to the office.

Option B: Scan the QR code (mobile app)

Ensure the deskbird app is installed on your phone and that you are logged in with an Administrator account.
Scan the QR code on the device using the native phone camera app, a QR reader app, or the QR reader function within the deskbird app (Open the app > Book > tap the QR code symbol in the upper-right corner > scan the code).
Select Visits in the Pair your kiosk screen, then complete the configuration (name, office, and default host).

Pair your kiosk screen with the Visits option selected

💡 Note: For the Android Kiosk App to install updates automatically, the app must be running in locked full-screen mode. In this mode, the app has device owner rights and can apply updates without manual intervention. If the app is not locked in full-screen mode, updates will not be installed automatically.

Step 4: Kiosk is ready to use

The kiosk goes live immediately after pairing and appears in the Paired devices list on the Devices page. Visitors can start checking in right away.

3. Manage and disconnect kiosks

Managing your devices

From Admin > Kiosk & displays > Devices, you get an overview of every connected device. The Overview shows the total number of devices and a breakdown by type (Room kiosks, Visitors kiosks, Signage - Floor plan, Signage - Rooms overview). The Paired devices table lists each device with its Device name, Type, Display content, and Last seen. You can search by device name, filter, and sort the list, edit a device's configuration, or unpair devices you no longer need.

Disconnecting a kiosk

To disconnect a paired kiosk on iOS or Android, tap 5 times on the bottom-left corner of the kiosk screen to open the Kiosk settings panel. From there, you can Disconnect / Reset the app. To pair the device again using a code, both steps are required: unpair the device in Admin > Kiosk & displays > Devices (so it is removed from the system) and reset the kiosk app on the device.

If the kiosk is running in a browser, clear the cache and cookies for the site and reload the page. This removes the pairing.

4. How visitors check in at the kiosk

Visitors can check in easily using the on-site deskbird Kiosk tablet. The kiosk supports multiple languages, which can be selected in the top-right corner of the screen before starting the process. There are two ways to check in:

Option 1: With visitor code

If the visitor has received an invitation via email, they can use the With visitor code option on the welcome screen.

On the welcome screen, select With visitor code.
Enter the unique code from the invitation email under Enter your visitor code.
Tap Continue to confirm.

The system automatically recognizes the visitor's details and displays the assigned host and visit time. The visitor reviews and confirms the information to complete the check-in. Once confirmed, a message appears confirming that the host has been notified.

Option 2: Manual check-in

For walk-in visitors, select Manual on the welcome screen.

Enter your first name and last name when prompted.
Enter your company name. You can also tap Skip if not applicable.
Specify whom you are visiting. If you're unsure, select I don't know — the default host will be notified.
Review your visit summary. This screen shows your host, visit date & time, and your personal details.
Tap Continue to complete your check-in.

After submission, you'll see a confirmation message and the host will be notified.

💡 Tip: Both check-in options automatically notify the host via Microsoft Teams or, if Teams is not available, by email. The visit also appears in real time on the deskbird Visitor Dashboard.

5. Supported devices and system requirements

The kiosk application is designed to be independent of the hardware provider's choice.

General requirements for compatibility

Android tablets running Android 12L (API level 32, released March 2022) or later are supported through the deskbird Kiosk App, available on the Google Play Store
iPads are supported through the deskbird Kiosk App, available on the Apple App Store
Chrome 80 or later is required, but Chrome 85 (released August 2020) or later is recommended for Wake Lock support to prevent the device from sleeping

Other recommendations

Choose devices with a screen size of at least 10 inches for optimal user experience.
Displays with LCD technology are most suited for continuous operation. Displays with OLED technology are at risk of image retention and burn-in from static content.

💡 The Visit Kiosk automatically adapts to the tablet's system appearance, switching themes when the device changes between light and dark mode.

6. FAQs

Only offices with a Visitors license assigned can be selected. Turn on Visitor Management for the office first (see Turn on Visitor Management for an office), then pair the kiosk again.

The pairing session on the kiosk can time out. Restart the kiosk screen to generate a new setup code and enter it again.
Check that you entered the code exactly as shown next to the QR code on the kiosk.
If the tablet was paired before, unpair it in Admin > Kiosk & displays > Devices and reset the kiosk app first (see Manage and disconnect kiosks).

The default host. Visitors can select I don't know when the kiosk asks whom they are visiting. You can set it when you pair the kiosk or in Admin > Visits: Settings (⚙️ gear icon next to the office). Both change the same setting for the office, so the latest change applies.

Do both steps: unpair the device in Admin > Kiosk & displays > Devices, and reset the kiosk app on the tablet (tap 5 times on the bottom-left corner of the kiosk screen, then Disconnect / Reset). If the kiosk runs in a browser, clear the cache and cookies for the site and reload the page. Then pair it as described in Set up and pair a Visitors kiosk.

On Android, the deskbird Kiosk App installs updates automatically only when it runs in locked full-screen mode. If it is not locked in full-screen mode, updates are not installed automatically. On iPads, the app is updated through the Apple App Store.

No. Each device is paired with one display type. For tablets outside meeting rooms, pair the device as a Room kiosk. See Kiosk Mode for Meeting Rooms.

Download the current .apk-file for Android:

kiosk_1.9.0.apk
5 MB Download