Shopify Store Keeps Disconnecting
Quick answer: Open Settings > Apps, Sales channels and Settings > Domains in your Shopify admin and see what shows as disconnected. Apps lose access when uninstalled, revoked or not refreshed. Channels drop when the linked account (such as Meta) disconnects. Readers drop on low battery or when paired elsewhere. Domains drop when someone edits DNS. Reconnect that one piece, then fix the cause.
1. Find out what is actually disconnecting
- Rule out Shopify. Shopify Status lists Admin, Checkout, Storefront, API & Mobile, Point of Sale and Third party services separately (per Shopify Status, Sept 2026). If yours shows an incident, wait.
- Apps: Settings > Apps (per Shopify Help Center). An app asking you to reinstall has lost its access.
- Sales channels: open each channel under Sales channels and look for a reconnect or error banner.
- POS: in Shopify POS, check whether the card reader still shows as connected.
- Domain: in Settings > Domains, click the domain. Shopify shows whether the DNS records point to Shopify, whether the domain is live, and whether the TLS certificate is provisioned (per Shopify Help Center, Sept 2026).
- Note the timing. Every hour, at a staff logout, or after a DNS change? The timing points to the cause.
2. Apps and custom integrations
- Uninstalled or revoked. A non-expiring offline access token stays valid until the app is uninstalled or its client secret is revoked (per Shopify.dev, Sept 2026). Reinstall or re-authorize the app.
- Token not refreshing. Expiring offline tokens last 1 hour and come with a refresh token that is valid for 90 days when issued. Public apps must use expiring offline tokens for GraphQL Admin API requests by January 1, 2027 (per Shopify.dev, Sept 2026). Hourly drops usually mean the token isn't being refreshed, which the developer has to fix.
- Tied to one person's login. Online access tokens last 24 hours, or until the user logs out of the Shopify admin. Logging out revokes every online token from that session (per Shopify.dev). If the app drops whenever one person logs out, it is using online tokens for background work.
- Webhooks removed. Your app has five seconds to respond to a webhook. Shopify retries failed deliveries up to eight times over four hours, then removes the subscription (per Shopify.dev, Sept 2026). The app still looks connected but stops receiving orders or inventory updates. Fix the endpoint, then have the app register its webhooks again.
- Who fixes it: for third-party apps, contact the app developer. Shopify Support helps with apps made by Shopify (per Shopify Help Center).
3. Facebook & Instagram and other sales channels
Shopify's reset for Facebook & Instagram by Meta (per Shopify Help Center, Sept 2026):
- In your Shopify admin, go to Sales channels and remove Facebook & Instagram.
- In the Facebook settings for the account connected to your business, open Business Integrations and remove Shopify.
- Open a private or incognito window, sign in to only one Facebook account, and reinstall the channel. On Android, use a mobile or desktop browser, not the Shopify app's embedded browser.
Disconnecting any Facebook account linked to the channel can disconnect all active Facebook features (per Shopify Help Center). If the reset fails, use the Get Support link inside the channel to reach Meta.
4. POS card reader keeps dropping
For the Shopify Tap & Chip reader (per Shopify Help Center, Sept 2026):
- Charge the reader above 50% battery.
- It pairs with one device at a time, so unpair it from any other iPad or phone.
- Update Shopify POS.
- Tap Forget card reader, turn Bluetooth off and on, then pair it again.
- If it still drops, do a pinhole reset. The pinhole is next to the charging port.
5. Custom domain keeps disconnecting
- A third-party domain needs an A record set to
23.227.38.65and a www CNAME set toshops.myshopify.com.(per Shopify Help Center, Sept 2026). - Keep only one A record and one AAAA record pointing to Shopify. Delete leftover records from an old host (per Shopify Help Center).
- DNS changes and a new TLS certificate can each take up to 48 hours.
6. When to contact Shopify Support
Contact Shopify when the status page is clear but the admin, Shopify POS or a Shopify-made app still keeps dropping. Go to help.shopify.com, click Chat with a human and log in. Chat is open 24/7 on all plans, and Plus and Retail plans also get phone and email support (per Shopify Help Center, Sept 2026). Bring screenshots and the time it dropped.
Is the store down or checkout failing instead? See Shopify store not working. Not sure which problem you have? Start with the Shopify store troubleshooting guide.
Dealing with this right now?
Tell PJ what dropped (app, channel, reader or domain) and when it started. The $150 SideGuy Hour comes with a guarantee: save time and money, or you don't pay.
Related Problems
Best Next Pages
Why does my Shopify app keep asking me to reinstall it? +
Its access token no longer works. Non-expiring offline tokens last until the app is uninstalled or its client secret is revoked. Expiring ones last 1 hour and must be refreshed (per Shopify.dev, Sept 2026). Reinstall the app. If it keeps happening, ask the developer to check the token refresh.
Why does my Shopify app disconnect when a staff member logs out? +
The app is using online access tokens. These last 24 hours or until that person logs out of the Shopify admin, and logging out revokes them. Background syncs need an offline token, which the developer has to set up.
My Shopify app says connected but stopped receiving orders. Why? +
Its webhook subscription was probably removed. Shopify retries failed deliveries up to eight times over four hours, then removes the subscription (per Shopify.dev, Sept 2026). Fix the endpoint, then have the app register its webhooks again.
How do I reconnect Facebook & Instagram to Shopify? +
Remove the channel under Sales channels. In the Facebook settings, open Business Integrations and remove Shopify. Then open a private window, sign in to one Facebook account, and reinstall the channel (per Shopify Help Center, Sept 2026).
Why does my Shopify POS card reader keep disconnecting? +
The usual causes are a battery under 50%, a reader still paired to another device, or an outdated POS app. Tap Forget card reader, turn Bluetooth off and on, then pair it again. If it still drops, do a pinhole reset.
