There’s a known bug with horizon where customers cannot browse in their in app function. It says online that this is a known bug. I contacted support last night and after an hour and a half they have given me no solution and no indication that this will be fixed. Social media is a key part of online ecommerce and I am shocked by Shopify’s disregard for how important this failing is. Surely the themes should be fit for purpose? How can something this important be ignored? Is there a real solution without asking someone to edit code, because anytime code is edited, it can affect changes going forward and Shopify refuse to offer ongoing support, blaming the code
HI @CZS
I think you expect too much from a free theme.
Do you have data how many customers use in app browsers?
Have you contacted all those social networks and ask why they do not update that in app browser to be compatible with the latest fetures?
Do you think Horizon theme should support also Internet Explorer 6 
It is important to you, but think from Shopify side, how just small number of store owners reported that issue?
And also have you tried Dawn or any of paid themes, to see how it looks?
This can also be approached from another direction:
Surely social media browsers should support web standards?
It’s unacceptable for Facebook to not support industry standards!
If theme works properly in Edge, Chrome, Safari and Firefox – all major browsers then whose fault it is?
Having said that – Shopify never claimed Horizon family to be one and all and support every possible use case.
On the contrary, they did say that they work on the evergreen web, supporting only 2 latest versions of major browsers…
Laza’s spot on – if the theme does not meet your requirements – there are hundreds alternative themes in the theme store.
I kinda get it, but I agree with @Laza_Binaery that a) it’s a free theme and also b) it’s not only the theme code but also on the social media network’s browser.
There are so many evolving things in the industry, it can’t possibly be all on Shopify to be compatible with every single thing. One bit of code might work for one thing but completely break for something else. So I think a common ground would be a better ask. Like how USB is standardized.
I’m sure they’ll fix whatever it is sooner or later. But for a free theme, I think people expect too much.
Hey @CZS
This one isn’t a case of expecting too much from a free theme, it’s a real bug Shopify has actually acknowledged. It’s a known conflict between Horizon and a recent Android WebView update that makes the theme freeze in the Facebook and Instagram in-app browser after the first page load, and Shopify’s own team has confirmed on the Horizon reviews that their developers are aware and working on it. So your frustration is fair, most social and paid traffic lands in those in-app browsers, so this genuinely matters and it’s not on you.
Shopify has already shipped an update to Horizon that specifically improves navigation in in-app browsers.
So the first thing to do is make sure you’re on the latest version of Horizon, because if you’re running an older copy you simply don’t have that fix yet. Go to Online Store, Themes, and if there’s an update available for Horizon, take it, it adds an updated copy you can preview before publishing, so nothing breaks and there’s no code editing involved. If you’re already on the very latest and it still freezes, then you’re hitting the active bug, so go back to Support, point out that they’ve already acknowledged it on the theme reviews, and ask them to apply the workaround they mentioned there. And if you need a working store this minute while that reaches you, Dawn holds up fine in those in-app browsers as a temporary fallback, but try the Horizon update first, that’s most likely your real fix.
Hope that helps! If it did, a Like and Marking it as Solution goes a long way and helps others find the fix faster too.
Best,
Moeed
Yeah, this Horizon bug is a joke at this point. Shopify support giving you the “it’s a known issue” speech for 90 minutes without a solution? Classic.
Here’s what actually works without touching theme code:
First, add a simple banner that says “tap here to open in browser” and link to your full site URL. Takes 2 minutes in admin settings, no code involved.
Second, use an app like “Mobile App Banner” from the app store. It detects when someone is in the in-app browser and prompts them to open Safari. Zero theme edits, survives updates.
Third, and honestly this is the real play, shift your traffic to email and SMS. Links from email open in full browser, bypassing this whole mess. Plus email converts 3 to 5 times better than social anyway.
Fourth, set up Instagram and Facebook Shops. Customers browse natively in those apps, no Horizon needed. Free to set up too.
You’re absolutely right about the code edits. One small change breaks something else, then Shopify tells you “sorry, that’s custom code, not our problem.” It’s a loop designed to make you pay for their experts.
The irony is that fixing this issue and keeping merchants happy would probably cost them less than losing frustrated store owners to competitors. But here we are.
The Horizon team clearly never tested in-app browsing properly. You’d think for a theme used by thousands of stores, basic functionality would be, you know, functional. But apparently that’s too much to ask.
For now, diversify your traffic sources. Email, SMS, native shopping on social platforms. It actually makes your business stronger long term anyway, even if you shouldn’t have to do it because of a bug.
What platform is driving most of your traffic right now?
CZ who did you talk with? I had the same issue with their support. Having an h1 issue with their theme which should have been fixed when they first put it out. The support person Tom did not want to help at all asked a few more questions and he closed the ticket with no resolve. Told me to through my own money at it. I mean this is the theme that Shopify built their architecture should be an easy fix. I am not understanding is it because they are from Canada is this how they do things? Looking for an answer. It really feels they are not supportive of their customers at all and this issue is popping up all over… Starting to get a very bad feeling about the support maybe corporate needs to investigate their people…
The issue isn’t just the theme; it’s a known compatibility problem between Horizon and certain in-app browsers, such as Instagram and Facebook. Shopify has acknowledged it and is actively working on fixes.
First, make sure your theme is updated to the latest Horizon version, as fixes have already been released. If the issue continues, it’s likely the ongoing bug, not your setup. In that case, either wait for the official patch or temporarily switch to a more stable theme like Dawn for better compatibility.
hi @CZS . Hope you are having a nice day!
Your frustration makes total sense. A theme that breaks on Facebook and Instagram is a big deal, and Shopify should fix it faster.
The easiest solution without touching any code is to switch your theme simply. Go to Shopify Admin, click Online Store, then Themes, then Visit Theme Store, and pick a free theme like Dawn or Craft. These work perfectly inside Facebook and Instagram browsers. Your products and content stay the same, nothing breaks, and no code is touched.
If you do not want to switch themes, you can add a simple message on your store telling customers to open the link in Chrome instead. This can be done through your theme settings with no code needed.
Waiting for Shopify to fix Horizon is not a good plan because there is no timeline, and your sales are suffering right now. Switching themes takes five minutes and solves the problem today.
I think that they are paying shopify to use the platform then the themes should work. You comment but you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Thanks Moeed this fixed the issue for Meta but not for tiktok.