We have a developer account that we use to test and develop a custom fulfillment app. In the original App Store, Apps had full access to the fulfillment order. In the Dev Dashboard, all attempts to accept a fulfillment requests yield this response:
”This app is not approved to access the FulfillmentOrder object. See Work with protected customer data for more details.”
Is this a bug, or a change in policy for apps made in the Dev Dashboard for development accounts?
Hi @Colin_Kuskie,
This can be expected depending on the app type, and store plan, since the Fulfillment Order does contain protected customer data.
Essentially, if the app was created in the Dev Dashboard from a Partner Account, and you’ve selected Public Distribution, then you must request access to protected data via your Partner Dashboard before you can access the Fulfillment Order.
If the app is a Partner App, with Custom Distribution, it should have access to protected data automatically.
If the app was created in the Dev Dashboard from a Merchant Account, the store must be on the Shopify Growth Plan or higher in order be able to access protected customer data.
Here’s some Shopify.dev documentation with more information on working with Protected Customer Data, including how to request access for Public Partner Apps.
Thank you for this information, but as I described in the original post, development accounts used to be able to access the personal information, regardless of the app type, for developing new code. Is Shopify now requiring paid accounts for that?
Hi @Colin_Kuskie,
There’s no change that I’m aware of that would prevent apps on development stores from accessing Protected Customer Data, however you do still need to request access to the data via the Partner Dashboard, as described in the Shopify.dev docs I linked above.
If the app is only installed on Development Stores, while you do still need to request access, you don’t need to have the request reviewed by Shopify before you can get access, you should be able to access the protected data automatically after submitting the request.
Before you can request access to protected customer data, including on development stores, you need to select a distribution method for your app.
…
If your app is for testing or installed only on a development store, you can access customer data in development after Step 5. You don’t need to submit for review.
I can confirm that this is how it’s been since Protected Customer Data access was restricted on the API in 2022, with the text I shared above added to the Shopify.dev documentation in November 2022:
Since all apps are now created in the Dev Dashboard, where previously Partner Apps were created in the Partner Dashboard, and Merchant Apps were created in the Store Admin directly, it is possible that you might have created the app in the Dev Dashboard while logged into a Merchant Account, instead of your Partner Account.
I’d recommend reviewing the app in your Dev Dashboard and confirming what account it was created with to see if it is a Partner App, or Merchant App which can’t select a distribution method, and is gated by Shopify Plan as previously described.
Hi Kellan,
Thank you for the detailed explanation. I have a follow-up question regarding our specific situation.
Our Setup:
Our Questions:
How do we check whether our app was created under a Partner Account or a Merchant Account in the Dev Dashboard?
We cannot find the “Protected Customer Data” request option in the Partner Dashboard. The app was created via dev.shopify.com — is the request option in a different location now?
Does the app need to have a “distribution method” selected before we can request Protected Customer Data access? If yes, which distribution method should we select for a custom app on a development store?
If our app was created under a Merchant Account (not Partner Account), is there any way to get PII access on a Development Store without upgrading the plan?
Thank you for your help!
Hi,
I am a developer building a custom CRM/contact center app (aicontactcenter.in) that integrates with Shopify. I need customer name, email, and phone number to sync into my app’s dashboard.
My current situation:
My questions :
Is it possible to get customer Name, Email, and Phone on a FREE Development Store without upgrading to a paid plan?
If yes, what exact steps are needed? I already submitted the Protected Customer Data request in Partner Dashboard - is there anything else?
Should I use a Partner App (created via dev.shopify.com) or a Custom App (Legacy, created via Shopify Admin) to get PII on a dev store?
For a Partner App with OAuth - after the merchant installs and approves the app, will the OAuth access token give PII access on a dev store?
Is the “Protected Customer Data” request submission in Partner Dashboard sufficient for dev store PII access, or does it only apply to App Store apps?
If PII is truly blocked on all free development stores regardless of app type or permissions - is there any free alternative for testing PII during development?
I do NOT want to upgrade to a paid Shopify plan. I just need to test my app during development.
Please guide me with exact steps. Thank you!