Review an installed app permissions in Shopify
An app keeps the access it was granted at install, even when it stops using part of it. The app about page shows which areas the app can view or edit, and which of those it has actually touched in the last 30 days. This tutorial reviews the Translate and Adapt app.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 6 minutes read
The worked example
| App reviewed | Translate and Adapt |
| Access areas | 7 |
| Used in the last 30 days | 5 |
| Unused access | 2 |
| Unused share | 28.57% |
Download the review: app-permissions-review.csv (135 bytes).
A permissions review for the worked example app. The five used areas made 167 requests in the last 30 days, and two areas made none.
1Open Apps settings
From your Shopify admin, go to Settings then Apps. The page helps you manage your installed and recently uninstalled apps.
2Open the app about page
Click the app name to open its about page. From the about page you can review information about the app, billing and usage charges, where to access the app, app history, privacy details, permission details, security checks, extensions and functions, pixel connection status, and any app compatibility issues.
3Find Activity and permissions
In the Activity and permissions section, review the app access areas, view and edit permissions, and recent activity. The section displays which areas of your store the app can view or edit, along with the date of the app most recent activity in each area. On some stores this section is called Access and permissions.
4Read the unused access
If the app has permissions it has not used in the last 30 days, those are displayed in an Unused access subsection. In the worked example, Discounts and Gift cards sit there, with no requests in the last 30 days.
5Click a recent activity date
Click a Recent activity date for an area to review the number of view and edit requests the app has made in the past 30 days, along with the date of the last request.
6Check billing and privacy
Review the app billing details and the developer privacy policy from the same about page. App plan changes are managed within the app itself or through the app developer website, not from Settings then Apps.
7Decide what to do
Decide whether the app still needs the access it holds. If an area sits unused, ask the developer whether the app still needs it, and uninstall the app from the about page menu if you no longer use it.
The arithmetic
| Access area | Requests, last 30 days | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Products | 42 | 25.15% |
| Online Store | 38 | 22.75% |
| Translations | 61 | 36.53% |
| Customers | 17 | 10.18% |
| Orders | 9 | 5.39% |
| Discounts | 0 | 0.00% |
| Gift cards | 0 | 0.00% |
| Total | 167 | 100.00% |
Used areas are 5 of 7, which is 71.43%, and unused areas are 2 of 7, which is 28.57%. The five used areas made 167 requests in the last 30 days.
Held at the counter
Unused access is the signal. Permissions the app has not used in the last 30 days show in the Unused access subsection. Two unused areas out of seven is the point to ask the developer whether the app still needs them.
None last 30 days is not proof of no access. If an area displays None last 30 days, the app has not made any requests in that area in the past 30 days, or the activity information could not be loaded. Check again before you conclude the access is dead.
Apps made by Shopify have no Security section. The Security section of an app about page gives you more visibility into how the app interacts with your store, but apps made by Shopify do not have one. Its absence on a Shopify-made app is normal, not a gap.
Sources
- Managing apps — Shopify's help pages: the app about page, the Activity and permissions section, the Unused access subsection, and the Security section rule.