Sunsetting your app

Removing an app can have serious implications for merchants who rely on its functionality. To ensure the best possible experience for merchants who use your app, you must adhere to the following process when sunsetting your app.

Sunsetting process

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Follow this timeline to ensure that your users have enough warning that your app will be sunset, allowing them the opportunity to find alternate solutions.

Before you sunset your app, you need to complete the following steps:

Contact Shopify Support to initiate sunsetting for your app.
Set your app listing visibility to Unlisted to prevent further installs from the Shopify App Store. Unlisted apps can still be installed, but you'll be notified if a merchant installs your unlisted app.
Send a minimum of two communications to merchants who have an active install of your app informing them that the app is being sunset.
Cancel all app subscriptions for the stores that are using your app using the GraphQL Admin API's appSubscriptionCancel mutation.
Remove your app from your servers.

Caution

You must complete steps 1-5 prior to removing your app from your servers.

Thirty days before you sunset the app

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Contact Shopify Support to have your app unpublished from the Shopify App Store. Unpublishing your app stops new users from downloading your app during the sunsetting period. When you contact Support, include a link to the app you're sunsetting, the date on which you want the app unpublished, and the official sunset date.

Note

Only Shopify Support can unpublish your app from the Shopify App Store. Unpublishing an app isn't the same as setting the app listing visibility to Unlisted.
After you receive confirmation from Shopify that your app will be unpublished, cancel any recurring app charges through the GraphQL Admin API (including active, frozen, pending, or accepted charges).
After the app is unpublished, send an email to your users that explains that your app will be sunset, provides the sunset date, and suggests that users uninstall the app from their storefront. If you're migrating users to a new Shopify app that you have developed, then include instructions on how to do so. Otherwise, instruct merchants to uninstall the app and find an alternative.

Two weeks before you sunset the app

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Post a notice in your app, notifying users that the app will not function after the sunset date.
Offer support to any users who need it during this period.

One week before you sunset the app

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Send an email reminding users of the sunset date. If merchants contact you for alternate apps to use, then direct them to the Shopify App Store.

On the sunset date

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Contact Shopify Support to provide a copy of the communications you sent to users and confirm the next steps for your app's removal.
Check the number and type of remaining installs you have on your app. Because removing an app can have serious implications for merchants who rely on its functionality, Shopify Support might ask you to send an additional email and wait 15 days if there are a high number of active merchant installs.

You can view how many merchants have installed your app and what plans they're on.

Remove the app from your servers rather than deleting it from the Apps page in your Partner Dashboard.

Caution

Client IDs and historical app data aren't available if you delete the app from your Partner Dashboard. We therefore recommend that you retain your app in the Partner Dashboard.

Retaining your app lets you reuse the same client ID if you decide to relaunch your app in the future. Additionally, keeping your app in the Partner Dashboard retains historical app data, such as revenue, number of installs, and support interactions.