Can I keep using a Shopify app after it's delisted?

Not sure yet whether one of your apps is affected? Start with how to tell if a Shopify app was removed from the App Store, or run the free checker on your store.

What changes when an app is delisted

For the stores that already have it, often not much at first. The app stays under Settings > Apps and usually keeps working. What stops is new installs. Nobody can add it from the App Store, including you on a second store, and if you uninstall it you should assume you can't get it back.

The bill doesn't change either. A Shopify-billed app keeps charging while it's installed, because uninstalling is what cancels future recurring charges (Shopify Help Center, Uninstalling apps). There's more on that in removed from the App Store but still charging you.

Delisted and removed are different steps

Shopify's enforcement page lists them separately. Delisting means "temporarily or permanently removing it from the Shopify App Store, and blocking new installs." Removing an app from a merchant's store and revoking its access to Shopify's APIs are separate actions on the same list (Enforcement of Shopify's Partner Program Policies). A delisting can be temporary, so the app may come back.

When Shopify removes an app for breaking its rules, it says merchants can keep using it until the removal date and typically get at least 30 days' notice if the app is on a live store. Serious violations can mean less notice. On the removal date, Shopify uninstalls the app for anyone who hasn't already.

Shopify also says it can't share details of its investigations, so a delisting on its own tells you very little about why. If you're worried about security, our calm app check for Shopify merchants goes through what to look at.

What to do while it still works

1. Ask the developer what's happening. Look for a status page or a recent email first. Shopify's Help Center points you to Settings > Apps > Get support to reach an app's developer.
2. Watch your email and your Shopify admin for a removal notice, and write the date down if one arrives.
3. Export the data the app holds. Shopify warns that some apps store data you can't recover after uninstalling.
4. Line up a replacement before any removal date, so the feature doesn't just disappear on your storefront. How to switch Shopify apps without losing data walks through the move.
5. When you're ready, uninstall it yourself from Settings > Apps, and check whether the app left code in your theme that needs removing.

Source: Shopify Help Center, Uninstalling apps.

You may already pay for the replacement

Before you shop for a new app, check what you already have. Plenty of apps cover more than one job, and the feature you're about to lose might already be sitting in another app on your bill. AppTrim reads your Shopify billing invoice, lists every app charge, and flags apps that do the same job. Use it to spot tools you no longer need and apps still billing after you uninstalled them. The app overlap guide has more on spotting two apps doing the same thing.

If you do need something new, look for it on the Shopify App Store. Unlisted public apps don't appear in App Store search, so a developer may also send you a direct link to their listing (Shopify Help Center, About apps).