Subscription Behavior After Re-installation & Trial → Paid Transition

Partner Discussions
1

Hey there!

I’m looking for guidance on two billing scenarios.

1. Re-installation While Time Remains on a Paid Monthly Plan

Scenario:

  1. A merchant subscribes to an monthly plan.
  2. They uninstall the app without canceling the subscription from within the app (so no app_subscriptions/update is triggered).
  3. Shopify cancels the subscription silently.
  4. The app receives the app/uninstalled webhook, but not app_subscriptions/update.
  5. A few days later, the merchant reinstalls the app. They still had, for example, 10 days left in the previously paid period.

Questions:

  • Are we required to request a new subscription approval immediately on reinstall, even if the merchant had time remaining?
  • If yes, should we create a new appSubscriptionCreate as usual?
  • What happens to the remaining paid days? Does the new subscription start after those days end, or is that time lost?
  • If the merchant declines the new subscription approval, are we allowed to continue offering paid features until their original currentPeriodEnd?
  • Is there an official recommendation for handling reinstalls for paid users while remaining compliant with Shopify’s billing policies?

2. Trial Expiration and Webhook Behavior

During testing:

  • When a merchant starts a 7-day trial, the subscription status is ACTIVE, and currentPeriodEnd reflects the trial end date.
  • When the trial ends, Shopify charges the merchant.

Questions:

  • Is there any webhook triggered when the trial transitions into a paid billing cycle?
  • If not, what’s the best way to detect when the trial ends and the paid period begins, especially to update currentPeriodEnd?

Any clarification or links to relevant documentation would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
Chris
Developer, Movo Labs