How to Stop a Session in IZI

How to Stop a Gaming Session in IZI

A session in IZI can be stopped in three ways: manually by an admin using the Stop button in the CRM, automatically when the paid time runs out, or by the player through the mobile app. When a session ends, IZI records the actual end time, frees the device for the next booking, and — if the tariff has a refund policy configured — credits the proportional unused cost to the player’s bonus balance. Stopping a session is irreversible: the confirmation dialog warns you explicitly. If you need to cancel before the session begins, use Cancel rather than Stop — they trigger different business logic and have different effects on billing.

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Steps: how to stop an active session

Step 1. Open the session card

Go to the Hall section (real-time view) or the Sessions section (full list). Find the session by client name, device number, or status filter. Click the row to open the session card, which shows the start date, tariffs, devices, and coverage status.

Step 2. Click Stop

Inside the session card, click the Stop button. It is available for sessions with the status Active or Awaiting payment. For sessions already in Stopped or Cancelled status the button is grayed out.

Step 3. Confirm the action

A dialog titled Stop session appears with the message: “Are you sure you want to stop this session? This action cannot be undone.” Click Stop to confirm.

Step 4. Check the result

After confirmation:

• The End date field is populated with the actual stop time.
• The Stopped by field shows: “Manually by admin”.
• The device moves to a free status and becomes available for a new booking.
• If the tariff has a refund configured, the player receives a notification that bonus credits were added.

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What happens under the hood

Understanding the internals helps you configure tariffs correctly and explain outcomes to players.

Time and device recording

IZI writes an actualEndAt timestamp for the session and for each linked device. Devices whose planned time has already expired receive an effectiveEndAt automatically through a database view — no extra admin action needed.

Unused-time refund

Early-stop behavior is controlled by two tariff settings:

Tariff setting	What happens to remaining time
BURN	Unused time is forfeited; no refund is issued
KEEP	Remaining time stays credited in the player’s tariff
Proportional bonus refund	Unused cost is added to the player’s bonus balance using the formula below

When bonus refund is enabled, the calculation is:

refund = paid_amount × (unused_seconds / total_paid_seconds)

For example: a player pays for 60 minutes but stops after 40 minutes — the cost of the remaining 20 minutes is credited to the bonus balance. The refund is only issued when the tariff was fully consumed (expired) at the moment the session is stopped.

Stop reason in the audit trail

The Stopped by field in the session card records one of three values:

• “Manually by admin” — a staff member clicked Stop in the CRM
• “Manually by player” — the player closed the session through the app
• “Automatically on time” — the tariff time ran out and the system closed the session itself

This field is written once at the moment of closing and is never overwritten, providing a reliable audit trail.

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Auto-renewal: when a session does not stop on its own

If Auto-renewal is enabled for a player, IZI adds the next tariff before the current one expires — the session continues without interruption. You can control this setting directly in the session card using the Auto-renewal toggle in the block with the same label.

Two edge cases to know:

• If no payment method is linked and the bonus balance is insufficient, auto-renewal will not trigger and the session closes when the current tariff expires.
• For open-ended postpaid sessions, auto-renewal is mandatory and managed by the system — the toggle is locked.

For details, see Extend a session.

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Force-stopping a POD session

A POD (gaming pod with presence sensors) is a distinct device type. The standard Stop button checks whether the pod is physically free: if sensors detect someone inside, the stop is blocked.

When you need to close a session by force (for example, the POD is unresponsive or the player has already left):

1. Open the session card.
2. Click Force Stop (POD).
3. In the dialog, enter a reason in the required field — “Briefly describe why you are force-stopping this session.” The field cannot be left empty.
4. Click Force Stop.

If the POD is physically occupied, also use the emergency bypass option available in the same interface. Force stop closes the session on the server side; the MQTT command to the device is sent asynchronously.

Force stop requires the SessionEdit + DeviceForceEnd permissions. If the button is unavailable, ask the account owner to configure the role permissions.

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Coverage status and “Needs attention”

The session card includes a Coverage status field with two possible values:

• “Covered” — the session has active tariff coverage and time is running.
• “Needs attention” — coverage has ended but the session is still open. This happens when tariff time runs out and auto-renewal did not trigger. The session stays open until manually stopped or a new tariff is added.

If you see “Needs attention,” either stop the session manually or extend the tariff to record the correct end time.

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Cancel vs Stop: what is the difference

New admins often confuse these two actions:

	Cancel	Stop
When	Only before the session actually starts	During an active session or after time expires
Payment	Not recorded — session is voided	Recorded based on actual time used
Refund	Depends on tariff conditions	Proportional, if refundMode is configured
Device	Released immediately	Released after confirmation
Button in CRM	Cancel	Stop

If a client changes their mind before starting — use Cancel. If the session is already running — only Stop applies. For cancellation details, see Cancel a session.

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Frequently asked questions

Why is the Stop button grayed out? The session is already stopped or cancelled. Check the Status field in the session card.

Can I stop a session from the mobile app? Yes — a player can stop their own session through the app. It closes with the reason “Manually by player.”

What if I stopped a session by mistake? The action cannot be undone. Contact IZI support to manually adjust the transaction history.

The refund was smaller than expected — why? Refunds are calculated proportionally: the amount returned reflects only the unused fraction of the paid time. If the tariff mode is BURN, no refund is issued by design.