We have been developing small apps for the app store for some time now and are planning to release more, either alone, in cooperation with other companies or for clients.
However, some restrictions mentioned in the docs are a little unclear for us and we are unsure, if they apply to some of the ideas we have.
Some advice and deeper insights would be greatly appreciated to get some clarity.
If there is a more appropriate place to ask these questions, please let me know. I’ve tried the Shopify Partner Slack and some personal contacts I had.
I’ve run out of ideas on who to ask, so I hope to be lucky here
Example 1: Mostly merchant or Partner interaction
- Apps that mostly rely on merchant or Partner interaction to operate - Apps that rely on mainly person-to-person interactions should consider listing as a service in our Partner Directory.
At editions.dev I had a chat with the app store submissions and reviews team, talking mainly about the second restriction. Providing a database and listings that rival the Shopify experts / Partner directory are obviously not wanted, as stated in number 12:
- Apps that connect merchants to external developers - Apps that connect merchants to agencies and freelancers cannot be distributed through the Shopify App Store.
But, I have been told, that creating your own “Agency app”, wouldn’t be an issue. And apps that provide an entry point for merchants to directly initiate contact with the builder of the app for services like support, coding, consulting, etc. would be no problem. As long as the service is provided directly and no external devs are connected to the merchant.
Number 2 of the restricted app types sounds like, that wouldn’t be allowed, as such apps would rely mostly on merchant and partner interaction to operate.
Of course, it could integrate more deeply with Shopify APIs to allow merchants to ask for help on specific themes/code, products, etc. to give the agency the context the need.
I would love to understand what the definition is here and where the limits are.
What kind of apps is this restriction trying to target and prevent?
Example 2: Marketplaces
- Apps that host marketplaces on Shopify - Apps that connect merchants to marketplaces or allow them to turn their stores into marketplaces cannot be distributed through the Shopify App Store
This one confused me, as there are apps for eBay and Amazon in the app store already.
Maybe there is a requirement to get approval from Shopify. However, on the restrictions for payment apps there is an explicit command regarding this including a link to a form, which is missing here:
- Unauthorized payment apps - Payment Gateway apps must be authorized through an application process. They must be built using the Payments Apps API. Review the requirements for more information.
There are a few stores, that run a marketplace on Shopify, which Shopify leadership is aware of as well. So it surprised me, that supporting this through apps is not wanted and allowed.
I also know a few of B2B stores trying to connect with third party B2B marketplaces and would decide against Shopify, if they cannot.