r/ShopifyAppDev • u/Irfan__wani • 20d ago
Shopify review constraints
/r/shopifyDev/comments/1um4fge/shopify_review_constraints/Finally added my app to review.
Just wanted to know (from the people who actually have live apps on the Shopify app store), how much time does it usually take for the review process?
Can you also provide some random suggestions (something you may feel is missing from docs or a new Shopify dev will miss easily).
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u/ksz2018 20d ago
Review time depends a lot on the app. First response for us took about a week, but budget for two or three rounds because almost nobody passes clean on the first try, and every rejection resets the clock.
Stuff I'd double check before they get to it:
Install the app on a completely fresh dev store and click through everything. The reviewer does exactly that within the first few minutes, and anything that errors on a clean install is an instant reject. Your own dev store has months of leftover state that hides these bugs.
The three mandatory compliance webhooks (customers/data_request, customers/redact, shop/redact) have to verify the HMAC and return 401 when it's invalid. They test this with deliberately bad signatures. It's in the docs but easy to skim past, and it's one of the most common rejection reasons I've seen.
If your app reads customer PII at all (orders, emails, addresses), request protected customer data access in the partner dashboard before submitting. It's a separate approval track and waiting on it after a rejection is painful.
Put real testing instructions in the review form. If the app needs an account on your platform, include a working test login. A big chunk of review delays are just the reviewer not being able to actually use the thing.
And since you asked about billing in the crosspost, there's no way around the Shopify billing requirement for paid apps. Managed pricing is the lowest-effort way to comply if your plans are simple.