Check-In Links

Web and Mobile

Tattoo Studio Pro provides two types of check-in links: a walk-in check-in link (with a shareable QR code) for clients who walk in off the street, and appointment-specific check-in links that are sent automatically in reminder messages. Both let clients complete intake forms digitally before or when they arrive.

Where to Find These Settings

As of v4.2, the old Inbox, Portfolio, and Check-In settings pages are consolidated into a single Settings > Sharing page with three accordion sections: Appointment Requests, Portfolio, and Walk-In Check-In. The walk-in link, embed code, and QR code all live under the Walk-In Check-In accordion, which is collapsed by default. Bookmarks to the old /settings/checkin, /settings/inbox, and /settings/portfolio pages still work and now redirect here automatically.

A permanent URL clients can use to check themselves in as walk-ins. No appointment required.

What clients can do:

  • Complete their intake form on their own phone
  • Check in digitally when they arrive
  • Their entry appears in your queue automatically

Sharing your link:

  1. Go to Settings > Sharing
  2. Expand the Walk-In Check-In accordion (it is collapsed by default)
  3. Click Copy Link to copy the walk-in URL to your clipboard
  4. Click Preview to see exactly what clients see
  5. Share everywhere: website, social media, text messages, email

QR Code for Walk-In Check-In

New in v4.2. Print a QR code and display it at your front counter, entrance, or waiting area. Clients scan it with their phone, fill out the intake form, and show up in your queue automatically.

Download PNG: Click Download PNG under the QR code. A high-resolution 1024 by 1024 PNG saves to your computer, named after your studio. Use it for posters, signs, business cards, or anywhere else you need a clean image.

Print: Click Print to open a print-friendly window with your studio name, “Scan to check in” instructions, and the QR code centered on the page. Use your browser’s print dialog to send it to your printer.

Print once, hang forever: The QR code is generated from your walk-in check-in URL, so the link behind it does not change. A single printed copy at your counter can serve indefinitely.

Let Clients Photograph Their Own ID

This is switched off by default. Turn it on and clients photograph their own government ID, front and back, from their own phone as part of the same check-in. Nothing has to be handed to the shop laptop or tablet.

To turn it on: go to Settings > Preferences and enable Enable online photo ID upload. Note this lives on Preferences, not on the Sharing page where the QR code is.

Once it is on:

  • The check-in form gains an Identification section with a Take Photo button, which opens the client’s rear-facing camera.
  • Both front and back are supported. Tap Take Photo again for each capture, up to five.
  • A photo becomes required to submit, so nobody gets through check-in without one.
  • It applies to both the walk-in QR link and the appointment check-in link.

While it is off, clients instead see a note asking them to bring a valid photo ID to be checked in person at the studio. Leave it off if you require a physical ID in hand.

Both the walk-in check-in form and the appointment-specific check-in form include an SMS consent disclosure block under the phone field. The block names your studio, enumerates the transactional message types you may send (booking confirmations, reminders, deposit links, check-in forms, receipts), discloses message frequency and rates, surfaces STOP/HELP, and links to the Privacy Policy and Terms. This is required for the Twilio A2P 10DLC compliance carriers now enforce on every public SMS-triggering form. You don’t need to configure anything; the block is built into the public forms.

Embed on Website (iframe)

Paste the check-in form directly into your own website so clients can check in without leaving your site.

  1. Go to Settings > Sharing, Walk-In Check-In accordion
  2. Copy the embed code from the Embed Code section
  3. Paste the iframe snippet into your website’s HTML

Every embed code on the Sharing page includes a special ?embed=1 parameter. When a client opens the embedded form, the studio header, logo, and title are hidden so the form fits cleanly into your own site’s design. The form itself works exactly the same as the standalone version.

A unique, secure link generated for each scheduled appointment. Include it in a reminder message and every client gets their own personal check-in link.

How it works:

  • Links are generated automatically when appointments are created
  • Each link is unique and tied to one appointment
  • The booking confirmation SMS automatically includes the check-in link (new in v4.2) when an appointment is booked or a request is converted, so clients can check in right after booking instead of waiting for a reminder
  • You can also include it in reminder messages by adding the {APPOINTMENT_CHECKIN_URL} variable to your template
  • You can send or resend it manually any time from the calendar (see below)

What clients see when they open the link:

  • Their appointment details at the top of the form (date, time, artist, service)
  • If the link has already been used: a clear “You’ve already completed this check-in” message instead of a generic error
  • If the link is expired or invalid: your studio name, phone, email, and a “Contact us” link so they can reach out

To set up appointment check-in links:

  1. Go to Settings > Message Editor, Reminder Messages tab
  2. Click the {APPOINTMENT_CHECKIN_URL} variable button to insert it at your cursor
  3. Add instructional text before it, for example: “Please complete your check-in here: {APPOINTMENT_CHECKIN_URL}”
  4. Click Save

From then on, every enabled reminder in the sequence includes a unique client-specific check-in URL. See Messages and Reminders for full message editor details.

Besides the automatic links in confirmations and reminders, you can send or resend an appointment’s check-in link on demand from the calendar. Open the appointment (click it on the calendar, or use its popover) and choose Send check-in link. A small window opens with two ways to deliver it:

  • Text it to the client by SMS. Available when the client has a phone number on file and hasn’t opted out of texts. Their stored number and SMS consent are used automatically, so there’s nothing to retype.
  • Copy the link to send another way (email, your own messaging app, and so on). This is always available, even when SMS isn’t.

Sending or resending reuses the client’s existing valid link rather than minting a new one, so a client who already has the link isn’t left with a dead one, and the copied link and the texted link always match. A fresh link is generated only when there isn’t a usable one (none exists yet, or the old one is about to expire).

What the Online Check-In Form Asks (New in v4.2)

The online check-in form, both the walk-in link and the appointment-specific link, now mirrors the fields you’ve configured for your in-studio intake form. It used to honor only the photo-ID setting; it now also respects your Settings > Form Editor > Preferences toggles:

  • Emergency contact (name and phone), shown and required when enabled
  • Country field, shown and required when enabled
  • Health questionnaire / Medical Information, shown only when your health questionnaire is enabled

This keeps the online form and the in-studio form asking for the same things. See Forms for where these toggles live.

Heads-up on defaults: emergency contact and country are on by default. If you never turned them off, clients using your online link will now be asked for them, matching what your in-studio form already collects.

Minors: the online link does not capture parent/guardian consent, so clients under 18 should complete check-in in the studio for full compliance.

What Happens After a Client Checks In

Appointment check-in (using a unique link from a reminder SMS):

  1. Their intake form is marked complete
  2. A queue item is created or updated for them automatically
  3. They appear in your active Queue
  4. Checkout is available when you’re ready for them

Walk-in check-in (using the public walk-in URL or QR code):

  1. Their intake form is saved
  2. They appear in the Walk-Ins tab of the check-in modal on the queue page, NOT directly in the active queue
  3. Team members open the check-in modal, switch to the Walk-Ins tab, and pull them into the queue when ready
  4. From that point on they behave like any other queue item

Either way, the client walks in already done with paperwork.

Troubleshooting

QR code won’t download

  • Check your browser’s download settings, some browsers block automatic downloads
  • Try a different browser (Chrome, Safari, and Firefox all support this feature)
  • Make sure the QR code has fully loaded on the page before clicking Download PNG

QR code won’t print

  • The print window opens in a new tab, so check that your popup blocker isn’t blocking it
  • Allow popups from this app and try again
  • If the print window opens but is blank, wait a moment for the QR code to render before printing

Scanned QR code doesn’t open the form

  • Check the phone’s internet connection
  • Try opening the walk-in link directly in a browser to confirm the link works
  • Contact support if the link is broken

Check-in link not working

  • Verify your studio has a valid Studio ID (Settings > Studio Profile)
  • Check internet connection
  • Try copying the link fresh from Settings > Sharing
  • Test in an incognito browser window

Embedded form shows the studio header

  • Confirm the embed code includes ?embed=1 at the end of the iframe src URL
  • Re-copy the embed code from Settings > Sharing, it always includes the parameter in v4.2
  • Clear your browser cache if you have an older version of the embed code on your site

Embed code not displaying

  • Ensure the full iframe snippet was pasted (both opening and closing tags)
  • Some website builders restrict iframes, check your platform’s settings
  • Adjust the height if content is cut off

Client checked in but not appearing in queue

  • Refresh the queue page
  • Verify the client completed and submitted the full form
  • Check that the correct link was used

Client sees “You’ve already completed this check-in”

  • This means the appointment’s check-in link was already used successfully
  • Each link can only be used once for security
  • If the client needs to check in again, create a new appointment or send them the walk-in link

Client sees an error page

  • Expired or invalid links now show your studio name, phone, email, and a “Contact us” link
  • Keep your studio phone and email current in Settings > Studio Profile so clients can reach you from error pages

Appointment check-in links not in reminders

  • Verify {APPOINTMENT_CHECKIN_URL} is in the reminder template (exact spelling, curly braces, all caps)
  • Save the message template after editing
  • Test by creating a new appointment and verifying the reminder content

“Copy” button not working

  • Check browser clipboard permissions
  • Manually select the URL and copy with Ctrl+C or Cmd+C
  • Try a different browser

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