Development for the Station Solo vs the Station Duo

Have you been wondering, ‘What’s really so different from the Station 2018 compared to the Station Solo or Station Duo?’ We will go over the key physical differences, like how we incorporated a permanent customer-facing display, and feature differences, like contactless payments on the tethered Mini vs the printer and how familiar API calls might look different on these newer models.

Physical Differences

Solo on the left. Duo on the right

The Station Duo & Solo include a 14-inch merchant-facing display that is similar to the Station 2018. Clover observed merchants and developers interested in presenting live information to both merchant and client. Thus the Duo as one device model was born. Both models offer stand-alone printers without contactless payment. In the US, both the Solo and Duo handle chip and magnetic-stripe payments, in addition to contactless payment on the Duo terminal.

In Canada and Europe, however, our Solo is intended to take back-of-the-house orders without payment processing. If you are a non-US developer but want to develop for the Solo, the Flex can be used alongside the Solo to process payments. Unlike a Duo or tethered setup, no tethering cord is required. This combination is also usable for the US but not necessary since the Solo flies best, well, solo.

Given the similarities, you might want to assume these models are twins. However, they are fraternal, with their own personalities and capabilities to offer given the target audience.

Target Audience

Feature Details

App Development

Station Duo

When building apps for the Station Duo, remember apps will launch on the merchant-facing display, which is the 14-inch tablet. The payment screen will display on the 7-inch customer-facing terminal.

Merchant-facing Register app on the left. Customer-facing screen at the Register on the right.

Merchant-facing screen during payment on the left. Customer-facing screen during payment on the right.

You can build customer-facing apps for the Station Duo only with custom tenders or the customer-facing platform. Please see our Building Apps for Station Pro docs page for the required configuration.

Station Solo

The Solo is most similar to the sunsetted Station 2018. Therefore, if your existing merchant-facing apps run on the Clover Station 2018, they may well be a good fit for Station Solo. Please take into consideration the different API levels and payment interfaces, and adjust to the lack of swivel in app displays. Our docs page on Building Apps for Station Solo shows further examples of how to work with Station Solo hardware.

Order to payment flow for non-US devs who desire to use the Solo + Flex

Take order from the Flex -> order synced to the Solo in the kitchen/bar -> pay with Flex when customer is finished

Order to payment flow for US on Solo

Create the order at the register -> press pay, then swipe -> done

App Inspiration by Device Type

Solo: Although the Station Solo is a great device while flying solo within a FSR, pop-up shop, or retail store, it can be useful for businesses who don’t have the space for a tethered device model. For example, a food truck requires a permanent order display in the kitchen but a mobile payment method for patrons outside the truck. Note that Station Solo does not support semi-integrated apps, or apps that connect Clover with an external POS, but the Duo does.

Duo: Apps that feature both a merchant and customer interface for scheduling and booking services, plus taking payments after each appointment, would be useful for service industries, like hair salons, nail salons, and spas. Keeping track of commissions on a single device in service industries can also be a plus.

Final Thoughts

All of our Station models use the Platform2 class or standard Android APIs to detect system features and capabilities. Each Station requires Android API level 27 or higher. When building apps for the Solo and/or Duo, your options are numerous; however, it’s good to keep in mind what merchant type you’re creating for. If you’d like to try the Solo before purchasing, we have an emulator profile available at docs.clover.com.

So, will you create for the business who keeps it all on display for employees and customers? If so, then give our Duo a whirl. Or are you thinking of the business owner who has lines out the door and needs to get people in and out? Then our Solo is the model for you. Once you’ve decided which Station is the stop for you, purchase at cloverdevkit.com and reach out to developer-relations@devrel.clover.com for support.