Order.channelInformation.displayName started returning null on API version 2026-01

GraphQL Admin API Troubleshooting
1

Since late August, Order.channelInformation.displayName returns null on API version
2026-01 for orders coming from sales channels that have no channelDefinition
(private or third-party apps registered as sales channels). It used to return the channel
name for those same orders.

channelInformation.channelDefinition is null for them too. Everything else still works:
channelInformation.id, channelId and app are returned, and Order.publication.name,
Order.app.name and Order.sourceName all give the correct channel name.

Same request, two orders from the same shop:

{
  a: order(id: "gid://shopify/Order/XXXX") {          # private sales-channel app
    publication { name }                               # "Front VueJS"
    channelInformation { id displayName channelDefinition { handle } }
  }                                                    # id ok, displayName null, channelDefinition null
  b: order(id: "gid://shopify/Order/YYYY") {          # Online Store
    channelInformation { id displayName channelDefinition { handle } }
  }                                                    # displayName "Online Store", handle "web"
}

When

I snapshot orders incrementally, so I can date it. Three unrelated shops:

  • shop A, two private channels: last non-null 2026-08-21 01:31 UTC, first null 04:24 UTC
  • shop B, third-party channel app: last non-null 2026-08-24 03:44 UTC, first null 04:22 UTC
  • shop C, third-party channel app: first null 2026-08-24 10:15 UTC

On shop B that is a 38 minute window. In every shop, Online Store and POS orders fetched
after that moment still resolve fine, so this is not something changing on my side.

Deprecation

An introspection of 2026-01 I took on 2026-05-13 has no @deprecated on ChannelInformation.
Introspecting the same version today, the type set is identical (no types added), but all
ChannelInformation fields plus Order.channelInformation are now deprecated. The reasons
point to Order.attribution and QueryRoot.orderAttributionDefinitions, neither of which
exists in 2026-01:

Field 'attribution' doesn't exist on type 'Order'   (code: undefinedField)

I could not find an August changelog entry about any of this. The closest is
“Configure order attribution for sales channel apps” (June 30), which announces the
deprecation for 2026-07 and says Order.channelInformation remains available.

Questions

  1. Is the null intentional? Did displayName stop falling back on the publication name for
    channels without a ChannelDefinition?
  2. Why did the behaviour change on 2026-01, which is still supported?
  3. For apps that cannot move to 2026-07 yet, is Order.publication.name the recommended
    replacement?

I can share shop domains and order IDs privately.

2

Hey @Noe_Morvillers - thanks for flagging this and for including the timing across multiple shops.

I’m looking into the change to Order.channelInformation.displayName on API version 2026-01 specifically. I’ll reach out by DM for the shop and order IDs as you mentioned so I can investigate those specific examples further.

I’ll follow up here when I have more information I can share publicly.

3

Hey @Noe_Morvillers - just following up here publicly to confirm I’ve received the info in your DM. Thanks for that.

I’ve confirmed that the two null fields are connected, while Order.publication.name and Order.app.name resolve separately.

I’m investigating whether this behaviour is intended on supported API version 2026-01 and what guidance is available for apps that cannot move to 2026-07 yet. I’m also looking into the deprecation notices pointing to fields that aren’t available in 2026-01.

I’ll follow up here once I have confirmed guidance. Thanks again for the precise transition windows and examples.

5

Hey @Noe_Morvillers - thanks again for flagging this and for providing such precise examples. We identified the Order.channelInformation.displayName null response as a regression, not an intentional change to API version 2026-01. A fix has now been deployed and tested in production.

For app-backed channels without a channel definition, displayName once again falls back to the associated app’s display title. To clarify, this fallback doesn’t come from Order.publication.name; those fields resolve separately.

channelInformation.channelDefinition remaining null is expected for these orders. These legacy channels predate channel definitions, so there isn’t an underlying definition to return. The fix restores the display name without creating a definition where one doesn’t exist.

Apps remaining on 2026-01 don’t need to use Order.publication.name as a workaround for this issue and can continue querying channelInformation.displayName. When upgrading to 2026-07, the documented replacement is Order.attribution.displayName.

You’re also correct that the replacements named in the 2026-01 deprecation notices aren’t available in that version. I’ve confirmed that these notices are intended as lifecycle guidance for migration to 2026-07 or later.

Hope this helps!

6

Hey @Noe_Morvillers - a quick clarification on my earlier reply: I’ve confirmed that the deprecation notices are intended as lifecycle guidance, so my earlier description of them as a discrepancy was too strong. I’ll update that part of my earlier reply to avoid confusion.

Thanks again for raising this!