Billing API: remove recurring fee on app_uninstalled webhook

Retired Boards Appdev Billing

Topic summary

Issue: Developer needs to auto-terminate recurring fees when a merchant uninstalls the app. They listen to the app_uninstalled webhook but API calls to cancel charges fail because the app is already uninstalled and the request is unauthorized.

Clarification: Shopify automatically cancels all active recurring charges tied to the app upon uninstall (via Shopify’s billing system). Any non-Shopify/SaaS-side subscriptions or licenses must be canceled by the developer on their own platform.

Action items:

  • Do not attempt to cancel Shopify recurring charges after app_uninstalled; they are auto-cancelled.
  • Use the uninstall webhook to terminate the app’s own SaaS license and stop any external billing.

Reference: Shopify docs on cancelling subscriptions were provided.

Status: Resolved; developer acknowledges they only need to end the license on their side.

Summarized with AI on December 17. AI used: gpt-5.
1

Hi all,

we are in the review process of our app.

One criterion is that, on uninstall, all recurring fees must automatically be terminated.

Since we are a SaaS platform with its own charges, we did not use managed billing, but implemented our own billing via the shopify billing API.
So, we are listening on the uninstall webhook and try to remove the recurring fees.
But here, the app is already uninstalled, thus the request is unauthorized.

Therefore the question:
Using the Billing API, how do we remove recurring fees on app uninstall?

Thanks for your time!

2

On Shopify’s end, any shop that has uninstalled your app will have all active recurring charges cancelled.

If there are any other charges on your own platform instead, you will need to handle them.

https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/launch/billing/subscription-billing#cancelling-subscriptions

1 Like
3

Argh! Sorry, we didn’t think about it the correct way.
Fees are automatically cancelled.
We only have to terminate the license on our side.

Thank you!