Shopify App and Theme Store review policies

When Shopify merchants use apps and themes from the Shopify ecosystem, they're entrusting developers with critical tasks to run their businesses. App and theme reviews allow merchants to evaluate if the apps or themes that they're considering are right for their business. Reviews also provide valuable feedback to our app developer community.

To help ensure that app and theme reviews remain an unbiased, useful, and trustworthy source of information, you need to adhere to the terms set out in the Partner Program Agreement. If you don’t follow the review the terms and conditions, then Shopify may take appropriate action depending on the severity and number of violations. Such action may include the removal of a review, but additional action may be taken in the event of repeated violations.

If you encounter a non-compliant review, such as a fake, incentivized, or misleading review, then you can submit the Report a Partner Violation form.

Review guidelines

Reviews on the Shopify App Store and Shopify Theme Store are meant to be unbiased, useful, and trustworthy.

If you're a Partner, then you can't solicit or permit the following types of reviews:

• Reviews that are fake, inaccurate, irrelevant, or misleading.
• Reviews that are being used improperly for commercial gain.
• Reviews that are posted in exchange for a financial or other gain.
• Reviews that are posted multiple times from the same account or more than one account.
• Reviews that are misleading as to the reviewer's identity or their connection to the app being reviewed.
• Reviews that contain or link to prohibited or illegal content.

Learn more about prohibited actions involving app reviews.

How Shopify identifies non-compliant reviews

To detect non-compliant reviews, Shopify uses different methods and sources such as algorithms, manual searches, and community submissions of the Report a Partner violation form.

Review policy violations

If a Partner engages in any behavior that violates the review policies, then Shopify reserves the right to take certain necessary actions, including the right to do the following:

• Remove non-compliant reviews.
• Edit non-compliant reviews. Shopify will never edit a review if it changes the overall messaging. Shopify will only remove PII or anything that's against our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), or unpublish the review.
• Demote an app or theme's ranking in the store.
• Remove an app or theme from promotional surfaces.
• Unpublish an app or theme from the Shopify App Store or the Shopify Theme Store.

Whenever possible, Shopify gives developers an opportunity to fix the issue. However, in the case of more severe infractions where there is concrete evidence, a resolution might not be possible and Shopify's Partner Governance team might decide to terminate your Partner account. Learn more about the approach to enforcement of Shopify’s Partner Program policies.

As a developer, how will I know if a review has been removed?

When a review meets one or more of our criteria, Shopify will notify developers, whenever possible or applicable. Shopify will send an email to the business email associated with the Partner organization. An email is also sent to up to three Partner organization owners, based on the owner accounts that last logged in. You should ensure that the Partner organization business email address and all owner email addresses are up to date.

Will a review removal affect existing reviews, or only new ones?

If you violate the review policies, then all of your app and theme listing reviews, regardless of star rating or when the review was left will be reviewed for compliance. If we find any new or existing reviews that further violate our terms, then they will be removed and additional consequences may be applied.

What do I do if I think one of my reviews was removed incorrectly?

If you believe that one or more of your reviews were removed in error, then you can reply directly to the notification email that you received with a detailed description of why you think it was an incorrect removal. Include any supporting evidence or documentation that you have.

Partner Governance only replies to emails that provide detailed information and evidnece that prove that a mistake was made. If a mistake was made, then a member of Shopify's Partner Governance team will send an email to the business email associated with the Partner organization, and up to three owners emails to confirm that the review will be republished. There is no set time frame for how long this process might take.

How can I report a suspicious review?

If you encounter a Shopify Partner that you suspect isn't acting in accordance with our Partner Program Agreement or API License and Terms of Use, then you can report it directly by filling out the Report a Partner violation form.