Frequently asked questions
The questions committees ask us most.
Does the money from donations pass through WeMasjid?
Never. Donations go into the masjid's own Stripe account and pay out to its own bank account. We charge a Pro subscription, not a cut — 0% platform fee.
What happens to our screens if we stop paying?
Screens and public pages keep working; editing pauses until you subscribe or switch to the Free plan (1 screen, 5 slides).
Do we need the internet on all the time?
Screens cache the last good timetable and slides, so they keep showing correct times through outages. Donations do need a connection — the donor's phone uses their own.
What TVs does it work with?
Anything with a browser can show a screen. For unattended daily use we recommend a ~£30 Fire TV Stick with our app, an Android TV box, or a Raspberry Pi for full control — all covered in the screens guides.
How do I connect a Raspberry Pi?
Flash our WeMasjid OS image to an SD card with Raspberry Pi Imager, plug in HDMI and power, and the TV shows a PIN. Enter it under Screens → Link a device — or in Add screen — and it's managed remotely from then on: updates, Wi-Fi, restart and reboot all from the dashboard.
Why does the TV show a PIN?
An unlinked Pi shows a short PIN instead of your content — it's how it asks to be connected to a masjid. Type the PIN into Link a device (it rotates every 15 minutes, so re-check the TV if it's expired). If it just unlinked itself, the screen shows a fresh PIN within about 20 seconds.
How do people get the app?
Congregants scan the 'Get the app' QR on the TV slide, the Widgets card or the poster, which opens wemasjid.com/app/your-slug — from there the store listings (or the sideloaded APK) install the WeMasjid app. Inside it they scan your masjid's QR or search by name/postcode: prayer times, reminders, Jumu'ah, announcements, qibla and giving, working offline. Adding the public page to the home screen still works as a lightweight alternative.
We already have a printed timetable — do we have to recalculate?
No. Import it as CSV or Excel and the whole year is stored and editable. Calculated times are there if you'd rather use them, and you can mix both.
Why do you verify masajid before donations?
So nobody can collect money pretending to be a masjid. Until verified a masjid is limited — 1 screen, 5 slides, donations off — on any plan. Upload one committee document — a utility bill, Charity Commission letter, committee minutes or bank letter — and we review it by hand. Screens and your public page work straight away regardless.
Why can't I rename the masjid or change the address?
Name, address and postcode changes go through a Super Admin as a change request — edit under Settings, save, and it shows 'Awaiting Super Admin approval' until we approve it. Nothing changes before then and you're emailed either way; it protects against impersonation.
Why does the TV keep showing an old design after an update?
It doesn't any more: TVs check for a new WeMasjid build every few minutes and reload at a quiet moment — never during adhan, iqamah countdown, jamaat or khutbah — and once a night as a fallback. Screens → Reload screens forces it.
Can the committee share access safely?
Yes — invite people with per-area roles (prayer, screens, giving, Gift Aid, settings) and everything they change is in the audit log.
Why did my card decline on the terminal?
If the masjid's Stripe account is still in test mode, every real bank card declines with 'Your request used a real card while testing' — that's expected and actually proves the tap worked. Approvals need Stripe's physical test cards (ordered from the Stripe Dashboard → Terminal) or switching the account to live mode.
Why can't I use the same PIN for two volunteers?
PINs have to be unique within a masjid — the terminal uses them to tell who took each donation and ran each session, so two people sharing one would blur the records. People → Terminal PINs refuses to save a duplicate.
What does 'kept at £30' mean on the fee line?
Gifts of £30 or less can qualify for the government's GASDS top-up scheme, but only if the amount charged stays at £30 or under — so fee cover is capped to stop it pushing the gift over. At exactly £30 there's no headroom at all, so the fee-cover box greys out; the gift stays eligible for the top-up.
Why is 'raised' less than the card total?
Two things subtract: any card fee the donor covered (that's their money, not the masjid's) and any refunds — a partially refunded gift only counts what's kept. The Gift Aid figure is the exception: it's on the gross gift minus refunds, because that's the basis HMRC pays on.
Does WeMasjid see my donors' emails?
The donor types their own address for a receipt; the masjid sees it in the donation record, and the public receipt page only ever shows a masked version (like t•••@gmail.com) — never the full address to anyone who scans the QR.
Is our data ours?
Yes. Export donations to CSV any time, print the full timetable, and your public page and widgets keep pointing at your own accounts.
Can our committee keep the timetable in Google Sheets?
Yes — connect Google in Settings, then link a sheet in Prayer and it becomes the source of truth: edits reach the screens within about 10 minutes while one is on, and the in-app grid turns read-only so the sheet can't be overwritten. Unlink anytime; your stored days stay.
Can we put a Google Slides deck on the screens?
Yes — add a Google Slides deck slide, either created from our TV-sized templates or an existing presentation you pick. Every page shows in turn beside the prayer times, edits in Google sync automatically, and Skip slide hides a page without deleting it.