Fast check-in gives every event its own QR code. Put it on a screen, a printed sign, the back of a chair or your slides, and people scan it with their phone to check themselves in, from the My Gracely app or the browser. No kiosk, no line at the welcome desk.
Where to find your event's QR code
Right after you create an event. The Event created! window shows the QR code for fast check-in.
On the event's Details tab. Open the event from the Calendar. The Fast check-in section sits next to the event details.
There's nothing to turn on. Every event that isn't a paid event gets a QR code automatically.
š” Tip: A recurring event has one QR code for every occurrence. Print it once and reuse it every week.
Share the QR code
Under Share it you have three options:
Download for print: an A4 PDF with the event name, the QR code and "Scan to check in". Ready for a sign at the door.
Download for slides (16:9): an image sized for your presentation screen. Add it to your announcement slides.
Show full-screen: shows the QR code full-screen on the device you're using. Handy on a TV or a tablet at the entrance.
Ideas for putting your QR code to work
Because one code works for every occurrence of the event, you can print it once and leave it in place:
Stickers on chairs or pew backs. People check in from their seat, so there's no line at the door. Great for Sunday services.
Signs at every entrance and on the welcome table.
On the screen during the welcome or announcements. Use Download for slides (16:9) and leave it up for the first few minutes.
In the printed bulletin or order of service.
On a tablet or TV at the door using Show full-screen.
At small groups and classes. Stick the code on the door of the room.
š” Tip: For stickers, send the Download for print PDF to your printer or sticker shop and ask them to scale it down. Keep the QR code itself at least 3 cm (about 1Ā¼ in) wide so phones can read it from a seat. For a sign people scan from further away, go bigger: roughly 1 cm of code for every 10 cm of distance.
š” Tip: Scan your printed code with your own phone before you put it out. Use matte stickers or laminate signs so lights don't glare off them.
ā ļø Note: Each event has its own QR code. A sticker for your Sunday Service checks people in to Sunday Service only. If you create a new event instead of editing the existing one, you'll need to print new codes.
When check-in is open
Check-in opens 60 minutes before the event starts and closes 60 minutes after it ends. For recurring events this happens for every occurrence, and each check-in counts toward the occurrence that's happening now.
If someone scans outside that window, they see Check-in is not open right now and the time check-in opens next.
Gracely recognises who's scanning
People can check in from the My Gracely app or from any phone browser. Either way, Gracely works out who they are:
Logged in to the My Gracely app. The QR code opens the app and their family is ready to check in. No email needed.
Logged in to your church's member portal on their phone's browser. Gracely recognises them on the web too, and their family shows up right away.
Not logged in. They enter their email and tap Find me. Gracely matches it against everyone in People, members and returning visitors alike, and shows their family.
First-time visitors. If the email isn't in Gracely, they see Looks like you are new here?, enter their first name, last name, email and optionally a phone number, and tap Check-in. They're added to People as a visitor, and the next time they scan with the same email Gracely recognises them.
When they're done, they see Successfully checked in! Enjoy!
One person checks in the whole family
Anyone in a family can check in everyone in it, so a parent or head of household checks in the whole family with one tap.
After Gracely recognises them, they see Who's here today for the event? with everyone in their family already selected.
They untick anyone who isn't there and tap Check-in now.
Someone who lives alone is checked in straight away, with nothing to choose.
People who are already checked in show as Checked in, so nobody is counted twice.
š” Tip: Families come from People. Keep households up to date so the right people appear together.
For the step-by-step from the attendee's side, see Checking in to an event with a QR code. You can share that article with your members.
Does the QR code open the My Gracely app?
Yes, when it can. The QR code is a normal web link to your church's Gracely site, so any phone camera can open it.
If the person has the My Gracely app (iPhone or Android) and is logged in to your church, the link opens in the app with their family ready to check in.
If they don't have the app or aren't logged in, the check-in page opens in the browser. Nothing to install, no account needed.
In the app, if check-in isn't open yet, people can tap Notify me when it opens to get a reminder on their phone.
š” Tip: Fast check-in is a great moment to mention the app: "Scan to check in, and download My Gracely so next time it's one tap."
Children and secure child check-in
If the event has secure child check-in turned on, children can't check themselves in with the QR code. They show as At the kids' desk in their family list and check in at your welcome or kids' desk, so labels and pickup codes print as usual.
If secure child check-in is off, parents check their children in with the rest of the family.
Whenever a family includes children, people see a reminder: "Kids going to Kids Church still need a name tag from the kids' desk."
Where QR check-ins show up
QR check-ins appear on the event's Attendees tab and on the check-in screen, just like check-ins made by your team.
If someone pre-registered, their registration is marked as checked in. A family registered for 4 counts as 4 people, not 4 plus extras.
Everyone else is added as a walk-in for that occurrence.
New visitors are added to People as visitors (with the Visitor badge) so you can follow up with them.
Everything feeds into Attendance Reports, including first-time visitors and people you haven't seen recently.
How it works behind the scenes
Matching. People are matched by the email on their profile in People, or by their login. Gracely then shows the rest of their family.
Privacy. When someone looks themselves up by email, they only see first names and last initials (for example "Maria K."), with no photos, so an email lookup never exposes your member list. Logged-in members see their family's full names.
No double counting. Checking in again does nothing new.
Open window only. Outside the open window nobody can check in from the QR code.
Shared emails. If an email belongs to people in different families, Gracely can't tell who is scanning, so those people are asked to check in at the welcome desk.
Common questions
Can I turn fast check-in off for an event?
Not at the moment. Every event that isn't a paid event has a QR code, but nothing happens unless you share it. If you don't want people to self check in, don't put the code out.
Can I change when check-in opens or closes?
No. It always opens 60 minutes before the start and closes 60 minutes after the end.
Can people check out with the QR code?
No, the QR code only checks people in. Use the check-in screen or Kiosk Mode to check people out.
Can I see who checked in with the QR code?
QR check-ins appear on the event's Attendees tab with everyone else. They aren't marked separately from check-ins made by your team.
I turned on "Allow self check-in for authorized guardians". Can parents check their kids in with the QR code?
No. That setting is for secure child check-in at the kiosk. When an event has secure child check-in on, children always check in at the desk so labels and pickup codes print, whatever that setting says.
What happens to my printed stickers if I delete the event or make it a paid event?
The code stops working, and people who scan see This event has no self check-in. Editing an event (time, place, name) keeps the same code. Creating a new event gives you a new code.
Someone has the My Gracely app, but the QR code opened their browser.
The app only opens for people logged in to your church. If they aren't logged in, or are logged in to another church, check-in opens in the browser instead and works the same way.
An archived member scanned the code. What happens?
Archived people aren't recognised, so they'll see the new-visitor form, and filling it in creates a new visitor profile. If someone is coming back, restore them from the archive before they check in. If a second profile was already created, restore the original, then archive the new visitor profile so you don't end up with two.
Good to know
Paid events don't have fast check-in. Use the check-in screen or Kiosk Mode for those.
Fast check-in and Kiosk Mode work side by side. Use the QR code for most people, and keep a kiosk or your team at the desk for kids and anyone who needs help.
Make sure each person's email is on their profile in People. Someone whose email isn't there goes through the new-visitor form instead, and you may end up with a second profile for them.
Still need help? Start a chat with us.