Theme App Extension - published version is applied automatically to all installed themes

[howard-boost]

Hi all,

The online store 2.0 Theme App Extension is a very good approach. But I think there is a flaw in version upgrade flow:

When I create & publish a theme app version as below, the version is automatically applied to all installed themes without user notice/consent. And the app developer also doesn't have a way to do A/B tests, the only option is testing in dev stores. I think this release approach is risky that could cause broken layout to user live themes. Users should be able to choose the version that works well for their online store and upgrade new version whenever they want.

[Bunty]

Doesn't this problem already exist with Script Tags?

Giving the ability to merchants to choose which version to apply has trade-offs too

• The merchants are busy with 100s of things to juggle with, for them to pay attention to updating an app version is like asking a honey bee to lick a sugar crystal kept in the middle of a flower bed in spring
• This will lead to the app developers having to support for multiple version, which is technically challenging (you can see why Shopify forces you to keep moving forward with API versions and why Apple does this too)
• This also will have ramifications to  the support structure of the app developer, having KB to quote version or support staff to be well versed with all previous version

I say keep it simple, why over complicate an already complicated eco-system

[howard-boost]

Hi @Bunty 

I think Script Tags is different. With Script Tags, the app developer is able to release the new version to specific stores. That way he can control the version release more granularly, like doing A/B test, or asking specific customers for permission before upgrade. 

While with Theme App Extension, once you click the publish button, the new version will be applied to all stores. 

Yes, allowing merchants to choose which version to apply has trade-offs. But it is much safer and much better UX for shoppers. No one would want his/her website to crash once in a while because the app developer cannot cover all themes customization...

Even though it got trade-offs, we can always improve the policy. Like Shopify, they only support a few versions and give us time to upgrade.

[Bunty]

@howard-boost when you put it that way, does make sense

[Dan_Sundy]

Just wanted to say I agree with @howard-boost.

I was expecting this to already be a feature if you chose the Major version when publishing an app extension. But it looks like that is not the case? Does anybody know if this is on the road map and, if not, what is the point of choosing a Major vs Minor version?

We are planning on publishing a feature that may not be backwards compatible in every shop and I'm not sure how to deploy without causing problems for existing users.