# How to turn on punch photos at the kiosk

**For:** Admin
**You'll need:** Owner or Admin role, and at least one kiosk device already paired to a location.

You'll switch the kiosk from PIN-only verification to **PIN + photo**, so every punch at the tablet — clock in, clock out, break start, break end — stores a photo alongside the time. A manager reviews those photos on the timesheet. The PIN doesn't go away: the photo is documentation attached to it, not a replacement.

```{warning}
Turning this on is a decision your company owns, not a setting {{ app_name }} can make lawful for you. Before you switch it on: give your employees **prior written notice** of what's captured, why, and who can see it; **document why it's necessary** (a photo is treated as excessive without a real, recorded problem such as buddy-punching); and make sure the **review actually happens**. Photos that are stored and never looked at are exactly what regulators penalise.
```

## Turn on the company-wide setting

1. Open the account dropdown (top-right) and click **'Settings'**.
2. In the right column, find the **'Time clock'** section.
3. Open the **'Kiosk verification'** dropdown and choose **'PIN + photo'**. (The default is **'PIN only'**.)
4. Click **'Save'**.

The kiosk setting only appears while the **'Kiosk'** surface is on — see {doc}`/track-time/where-people-can-clock-in`.

## Set the retention period

The **'Punch photo retention (days)'** field appears as soon as you choose **'PIN + photo'**.

1. Enter how many days a photo should be kept — anything from **1** to **90**. The default is **30**.
2. Click **'Save'**.

After that many days, {{ app_name }} deletes the photo automatically. The punch itself — the times, the breaks, the record that photo mode was in force — is never deleted. See {doc}`how-long-punch-photos-are-kept`.

## Turn it off for a single location

Photo capture is on at every location by default once the company setting is on. You can exempt individual locations.

1. In the header, go to **Company → Locations** and open the location.
2. Turn off the **'Punch photos at this location'** toggle.
3. Click **'Save'**.

Punches at that location go back to PIN only. The toggle only does anything while the company-wide verification is **'PIN + photo'**.

```{note}
The setting is per location, never per tablet. Two tablets at the same door must never disagree about whether they're photographing people.
```

## Verify it worked

Walk up to a tablet at an affected location and tap any name. A live, mirrored camera preview appears next to the PIN keypad, with a one-line notice explaining what's captured and who can see it. After the punch, open the shift on **Planning → Management → Timesheet**, click the row, and you'll find a **'Punch photos'** section with a thumbnail marked **'Unreviewed'**.

## Related

- {doc}`punch-photos-at-the-tablet`
- {doc}`review-punch-photos`
- {doc}`how-long-punch-photos-are-kept`
- {doc}`/track-time/where-people-can-clock-in`