Older iPads and iPhones: WebApp and kiosk without the App Store

Why the app needs iOS/iPadOS 16

• Since April 2026 Apple requires new app versions to be built with the current Xcode and the iOS 26 SDK. Without these tools the App Store no longer accepts updates.
• The app draws its interface with the device's Safari engine (WebKit). With the current tools, iOS/iPadOS 16 is the oldest version we can reliably build, test and support. Dragging older systems along would hold back security updates and new features for everyone.
• The App Store therefore lists iOS or iPadOS 16 as the minimum version. The app cannot be installed on older devices – but the WebApp in the browser already runs from iOS/iPadOS 15.4.

Which devices get iOS/iPadOS 16

• iPad: iPad (5th generation, 2017) and later, iPad mini (5th generation) and later, iPad Air (3rd generation) and later, and every iPad Pro.
• iPhone: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X and all newer models, including the iPhone SE from the 2nd generation.
• You can see which version your device has under "Settings" → "General" → "About". Updates are free under "Settings" → "General" → "Software Update".

What works on older devices

• From iOS/iPadOS 15.4 the WebApp runs in Safari at drinklist.app/app – with the same features as on a computer: booking, accounts, bar, cash desk, reports and the kiosk.
• iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4 get iPadOS 15.8; iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus and SE (1st generation) get iOS 15.8 – free via "Software Update". That makes them a good kiosk with the WebApp.
• If a device is still on iOS/iPadOS 15.0 to 15.3, update it to 15.8 first. Until then the WebApp only shows the message "Please update iOS".
• Devices that stop at iOS 12 or older – such as the iPad Air (1st generation), iPad mini 2 and 3 – can use neither the app nor the WebApp: their Safari is too old.

Put the WebApp on the home screen like an app

1. On the iPad or iPhone, open Safari and go to drinklist.app/app. Use Safari: on older devices other browsers cannot put a WebApp on the home screen.
2. Tap the Share icon (square with an arrow pointing up), then "Add to Home Screen".
3. Keep the name or change it and tap "Add". An icon of its own appears on the home screen.
4. From now on always open the WebApp with this icon: it starts full screen without an address bar, like an app.
5. Sign in there. Even if you were already signed in in Safari, the installed WebApp usually asks again – it has its own storage.

What the installed WebApp can do – and what it cannot

• It runs full screen with its own icon and has the same features as the WebApp in the browser.
• When a new version is available, the message "New version available" appears with a "Reload" button. Tap it when nobody is booking – otherwise the new version arrives at the next start.
• Without internet it still starts and shows a notice that there is no connection. Booking is possible again once the connection is back; bookings are not stored offline.
• The kiosk needs no app of its own: it runs in the installed WebApp exactly as in the App Store app.

Start the iPad as a kiosk

1. First set up the kiosk in the Administration: /admin, choose the list on the left, then "Operations" → "Kiosk" – with a kiosk PIN and "Account display on the kiosk" ("Tiles" or "List (alphabetical)"). The details are in the bar operation guide.
2. On the iPad, open the installed WebApp and sign in with email address and password – as owner or manager of the list. The kiosk cannot be started with a cash or PIN account.
3. Go to "Admin area" → "Kiosk". Leave "Sign out of the management" ticked and tap "Start this device as kiosk".
4. The iPad now shows the list's accounts. The kiosk is only exited with "Exit kiosk" and the kiosk PIN.

Keep the iPad in the kiosk: Guided Access

1. Open "Settings" → "Accessibility" → "Guided Access" and turn "Guided Access" on.
2. Under "Passcode Settings", set a Guided Access passcode that only the administration knows – not the kiosk PIN and not the device passcode.
3. In the same menu, set the display auto-lock to "Never" so the screen does not switch off in the kiosk.
4. Open the WebApp with the running kiosk and quickly press the side button three times – on iPads with a Home button, the Home button.
5. Tap "Start" at the top right. From now on the WebApp cannot be left: no home screen, no other apps, no notifications.
6. To end it, triple-press again, enter the passcode and tap "End" at the top left.

So the kiosk iPad lasts the whole evening

• Set auto-lock to "Never" in the device settings too: "Settings" → "Display & Brightness" → "Auto-Lock".
• Keep the iPad on the charging cable. An older battery often does not last a long evening with the screen on.
• Make sure there is stable Wi-Fi at the bar. Without a connection the kiosk shows a notice and books nothing until it is back.
• When "New version available" appears, tap "Reload" during a quiet minute – otherwise the new version arrives at the next start of the WebApp.