Why is my express checkout option greyed out?

Technical Q&A

Topic summary

Main issue: Express checkout (accelerated payment buttons like Apple Pay) appears greyed out or redirects to the standard checkout instead of launching Apple Pay. Screenshots were provided.

Scope and conditions reported:

  • Primarily affects iOS Safari on mobile. Android and desktop/laptops work as expected.
  • Occurs on first visit to a site for some users. Not resolved by switching checkout layouts (one-page vs three-page).
  • One participant could not reproduce the issue on mobile, suggesting it may be device/network specific for some cases.

Troubleshooting and checks suggested:

  • Verify Settings > Payments are correctly configured.
  • Test on multiple mobile browsers and with an alternate internet connection.
  • Try a fresh free theme to rule out theme-related causes.

Current status:

  • No confirmed fix or root cause identified in the thread.
  • Evidence points to an iOS/Safari-specific behavior rather than theme or checkout layout. The issue appears intermittent and may be local for some users but reproducible for others.

Outcome: Discussion remains open with unresolved questions about an iOS Safari checkout bug and whether a platform-side fix is needed.

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

Hi there, I just noticed today as sales have been much slower than usual that the Express Checkout is all grey and not showing.
Screenshots attached, I pressed Apple Pay, it’s then taking me to the checkout screen (instead of via Apple Pay) and the boxes are grey.

theme is Sense

thank you

2

Hello, @Suziewalker !

Would you be able to try and attach screenshots again? They did not seem to come through this time.

Also, if you could share the direct link to your store, I could have a closer look at the checkout itself.

Also, double check your Settings > Payments and make sure that everything is set up properly.

3

Thanks you. Screenshots attached

url is on the 3rd screenshot- weirdly it says the word in my URL is not permitted in this community

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4

Thanks for including those!

Are you finding this occurs on both mobile and desktop, or just mobile?

Also, just to rule out if this is a theme issue, can you check if on one of our fresh free themes here and see if the same is happening?

5

Thanks Lana - at the moment I only have access to check on mobile. I have noticed it on other shopify sites too so not sure if it’s a wider issue or an issue just on my device

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1 Like
6

I just had a look at your store from a mobile device myself, and for me all of the Express checkout buttons show up fine.

Could you try it using multiple browsers on your phone, and if possible, an alternate internet connection?

It appears that this issue is just local to you.

7

Hey @Suziewalker @Lana_2 , I’m getting this exact same error on the checkout page. Only for iOS safari mobile phones. androids and laptops work. Did you find a fix? I’m using the one-page-checkout, but when i reverted back to the old 3-page, the error was still there for safari mobile.

8

I am having this same error on my site as well. It seems to be a Shopify error with their checkout but nobody knows how to fix it, and they haven’t fixed it yet. I think it something to do with IOS. Please let me know if anybody has fixed this error. I have noticed it only happens the first time you come to a site