Abstract: Various embodiments are related to apparatuses and methods for detecting a malfunctioning device using a sensor. An electronic device, such as a card reader, can be coupled to a mobile device, such as a smartphone. The smartphone has an integrated sensor, such as a motion sensor. An application can run on the smartphone and can use the sensor to determine the status of the electronic device, for example using the motion sensor to determine that the card reader has a status of malfunctioning. The application can determine that the card reader is malfunctioning by analyzing the motion sensor data to detect movements indicating multiple card swipes. If the card reader did not read any data during the card swipes, the application can deduce that the card reader is malfunctioning. The application can cause a replacement card reader to be sent to replace the malfunctioning card reader.