Event Check-In Beta
Run the door from your phone: scan attendee QR codes with the camera, check guests in manually from the roster, and watch the checked-in count climb in real time.
Overview
Your phone becomes the check-in desk. Open the event, point the camera at an attendee's QR code, and they're checked in — no laptop, no scanner hardware, no printed list.
Everything about the event itself — its date, capacity, registration settings, and whether QR check-in is enabled — is configured in Events in HqO Admin on the desktop. Mobile runs the door.
🔒 Permission required: Event Check-In requires the Operator or Super Admin role. Without one of those, the Events tab doesn't appear, and opening a direct link shows "Events Not Available."
Finding your event
The Events tab lists events across every building your roles cover, with Upcoming and Past views and a search box. The dashboard also carries a rollup of the next three upcoming events, so an event starting soon is one tap from the home screen.
If your roles cover more than one building, each event shows its building, and the Building filter narrows the list to the buildings you pick.
Tap an event to open its check-in screen.
The check-in screen
The screen has three parts:
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Header | Event title and date and time |
| Scanner | When the window is live, a Check-in is open banner with a Scan to check-in button that opens the camera |
| Attendees | The full roster, with a running "X of Y checked in" count, a search box, and All, Not checked in, and Checked in tabs |
The roster refreshes on its own while the screen is open, so registrations made at the last minute appear without you doing anything. On very large events the refresh slows down slightly to keep things responsive.
Scanning QR codes
- Tap Scan to check-in.
- Allow camera access when your browser asks. This is a one-time prompt per device.
- Align the attendee's QR code within the frame.
The scanner confirms each check-in with the attendee's name, briefly highlights their row in the roster, then waits a couple of seconds before reading again — so a code held in front of the camera doesn't fire repeatedly. On phones that support it, the scanner also vibrates: two short pulses for a check-in, three when a scan needs a second look.
What the messages mean
| Message | What happened | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "[Name] checked in" | Success | Wave them through |
| "[Name] is already checked in" | That booking was already checked in; the message shows when | Wave them through — no action needed |
| "No matching registration" | The code is valid, but this guest isn't registered for this event | Check the roster by name; register them on the desktop if appropriate |
| "Wrong event" | A valid HqO check-in code, but for a different event | Confirm they're at the right door |
| "Invalid QR code" | Not an HqO event check-in code | Check them in manually from the roster instead |
| "Camera access needed" | Camera permission was declined | Allow camera access in your browser settings, or check people in manually |
| "Camera unavailable" | The camera couldn't start on this device | Check people in manually |
💡 Tip: Every scanner failure has a manual fallback. If the camera won't cooperate, don't hold up the queue — search the roster and tap Check in on the attendee's row.
Checking people in manually
Manual check-in always works, whether or not the scanning window is open:
- Search the roster by name or email.
- Tap Check in on the right person's row.
Each row's button spins independently, so you can start several check-ins without waiting for the first to finish. The roster sorts confirmed attendees first, then those already checked in, then waitlisted, with cancelled bookings last. The Not checked in tab narrows it to the people still expected at the door.
Undoing a check-in
If you checked in the wrong person, or a QR code was scanned by mistake, undo the check-in from the roster:
- Find the attendee in the roster. The Checked in tab lists only the people already checked in.
- Tap Undo on their row.
- Tap Undo check-in to confirm, or Keep check-in to leave it as it is.
The attendee goes back to registered, and a "[Name] is registered again" message confirms it. You can check them in again straight away, by scan or from the roster.
The check-in window
QR scanning opens on a schedule set on the event itself, in desktop HqO Admin:
- Before the window opens, the screen reads "Check-in hasn't opened yet" and tells you how many minutes before the start scanning begins. Manual check-in is available the whole time.
- When the window opens, the Check-in is open banner and the Scan to check-in button appear — the screen updates on its own, so you don't need to reload.
- If QR check-in isn't enabled on the event, the screen reads "Check-in is off for this event" and manual check-in is your route. Turn QR check-in on in desktop HqO Admin if you want scanning.
Running a door well
- Bring power. The camera and the live roster keep the screen awake, which drains a battery fast.
- Add the app to your home screen before the event so it opens full-screen without the browser bar — see Getting Started.
- Two people, two phones. Both can scan the same event at once; the roster and counts stay in sync.
- Check your connection at the door. Check-ins go to HqO as they happen and don't queue offline. If a check-in fails, retry it once you have signal.
Related
- Events in HqO Admin — creating events, capacity, registration, and enabling QR check-in
- Events in the HqO app — what attendees see, including their check-in QR code