currentAppInstallation.activeSubscriptions returns empty array despite active annual subscription in Shopify admin

GraphQL Admin API Troubleshooting
1

Hi Everyone,

We’re experiencing an issue where the Billing API returns no active subscriptions for a merchant who clearly has one, causing our app to incorrectly restrict features tied to their paid plan.

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Merchant subscribes to an annual plan on our app.
  2. Merchant uninstalls the app.
  3. Merchant reinstalls the app.
  4. Our app queries currentAppInstallation for activeSubscriptions.
  5. The API returns an empty array.

GraphQL query used:

{
  currentAppInstallation {
    id
    activeSubscriptions {
      id
    }
  }
}

API response:

{
  "data": {
    "currentAppInstallation": {
      "id": "gid://shopify/AppInstallation/XXXXXXXXX",
      "activeSubscriptions": []
    }
  }
}

However, when the merchant navigates to their Shopify admin settings page, it clearly shows that they have an active annual subscription on our app. So Shopify’s own admin UI recognizes the subscription, but the API does not expose it.

Impact: This discrepancy prevents our app from confirming the merchant’s plan, which locks them out of features they’ve paid for. It’s generating confusion and support tickets.

Expected behavior: activeSubscriptions should return the merchant’s active annual subscription, consistent with what the Shopify admin settings page displays.

Has anyone else encountered this? Is there a known issue with annual subscriptions not being returned by the Billing API after an uninstall/reinstall cycle?

Thanks in advance for any help.