Can't get read_all_orders scope approval without recreating our app.

Retired Boards Appdev Authentication

Topic summary

Issue: A long-standing app (launched in 2012) requested the read_all_orders scope to power historical analytics. Initial partner support said the app’s legacy “Published/Unpublished” type requires rebuilding it as a public app and re-requesting scopes, which the developer fears would jeopardize existing merchants, reviews, and branding.

Update: A Shopify representative checked with Partner Support and clarified the app does not need to be recreated. Instead, it should be migrated to a public app; after passing public app review and meeting requirements, the new scope can be granted. They apologized for the earlier guidance and plan to update communications.

Open question: The developer notes the app has been publicly listed on the App Store since 2012, creating confusion about how “migrate to a public app” applies to an already published legacy app.

Status: Unresolved. Awaiting Shopify’s clarification on the migration/approval path for legacy published apps and next steps to obtain read_all_orders.

Summarized with AI on January 13. AI used: gpt-5.
1

Hey all,

I’ve gone and requested the read_all_orders scope, so our app can build out some historical analytics for our merchants. But partner support is telling me that because our app is “built on a legacy app type (Published/Unpublished).” that “if you are building the app for production (to be submitted to the app store) please rebuild it as a public app. Once the correct app type has been created, please re-request the scopes from that app.”

So I’m basically being told, that because my app was built and published in 2012, that I am ineligible to access that scope, without completely rebuilding and resubmitting my app. Meaning I have to lose 10+ years of merchants, all our reviews, all our branding and everything we have built over the last decade, just because Shopify changed the designation of apps internally?

Please tell me support is off base on this one, because I’m willing to bet like 80% of the apps on the app store would be considered “legacy” apps.

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Hey @MattLTV

Reached out to Partner Support on this one - it sounds like you don’t need to recreate the app but instead migrate it to a public app (and then the scope can be granted).

Unpublished apps can be submitted for public app review and once they pass our public app review by meeting our Requirements for apps in the Shopify App Store we would be able to support the addition of new scopes to their app

Sorry for the bum steer! We’ll update our comms around this one.

3

Hey @SBD

Thanks for following up, I think the confusion is that the app I requested it on is and has been published on the App Store since 2012 lol. Totally makes sense if it was old policy and unpublished, but we’ve been a live app for over a decade :sweat_smile:

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