You don't have to refresh the app to see new orders. While it's open on the Orders tab, the list updates itself the moment a customer places an order, and a sound plays so staff hear it across the kitchen. This article covers how that works and what happens when the app isn't in front of you.
While the app is open
The Orders tab watches for new orders for the branch you're working in. When one comes in, it appears in the list on its own, with no refresh and no waiting, and the chosen alert sound plays.
There's no switch to turn this on; it's how the Orders tab behaves whenever it's open. The only thing you choose is which sound plays. See New-order sound alerts to pick or change it.
If you've switched to another branch, the live updates follow that branch, so you only hear about orders for the one you're working in.
When the app is closed or in the background
Live updates need the app to be open and on screen. If the app is closed, or sitting in the background behind something else, a push notification covers it: your device shows a new-order alert so staff know to come back to the app. Set this up once and it works from then on. See Push notifications.
Reopening the app
When you bring the app back to the front after it's been in the background, it resyncs: it catches up on anything that came in while it was away, so the Orders tab is current the moment you're looking at it again. You don't need to do anything for this; it happens on open.
When to lean on each
| Situation | What keeps you up to date |
|---|---|
| App open on the Orders tab | Live updates, with the alert sound |
| App backgrounded or closed | Push notification, then resync on reopen |
Between the two, you're covered whether someone is watching the screen or not. The realtime updates handle the busy-counter case, and push handles the quieter moments when nobody's looking at the tablet.
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Need a hand?
If new orders aren't appearing while the app is open, or you're not hearing the alert, email us at support@menudock.co.uk with your store name and we'll help you track it down.