Usage agreement: The annotated edition
There are a few things that are critical to understand when using an app like Locksmith. Our usage agreement, updated every so often, works to make sure these things are clearly communicated. Here, we elaborate on what's in the current agreement.
And we do mean critical! Locksmith (like other protection apps) works by adding code to your online store's theme. Shopify doesn't let apps clean out this code when the app is removed from your Shopify store. This means that it's imperative to disable or delete all of your locks – or use the in-app "Disable Locksmith" button – before deleting Locksmith from your apps list. If you do not, you risk unexpected behavior in your online storefront.
If you forget, you can always temporarily reinstall the app and then disable it. For more on this, see our guide: Removing Locksmith.
Visibility of products, collections, etc are individually controlled within each sales channel. The online store is itself a sales channel, and Locksmith works within the online store's theme. This means that it absolutely cannot help with protecting, hiding, or restricting purchases on other channels.
The online store theme – the place where Locksmith operates – generally only handles content displayed with your store's header and footer. Because cart permalinks and the AJAX API don't pass through the online store theme, Locksmith can't enforce security in those areas. If this is a problem for your store, you may need to set up an app that auto-cancels fraudulent or otherwise undesired orders.
Second (third?) verse, same as the first. Custom search and filtering apps tend to pull in data in a way that does not pass through the online store theme, thus preventing Locksmith from enforcing protection on the contents they retrieve. (If you're working on such an app, check out our storefront API for integration.)
The merchant requirements for the Shop app explicitly require (as of 2021-07-16) that merchants "not [use] any password control, or age verification apps such as Advanced Registration, B2B Login Access Management, Locksmith, Login to View Price and MagicPass Deal Club, Wholesale".
It's our interpretation that Shopify intends product availability on the Shop app to mirror availability via the Online Store channel. Apps like Locksmith change product variability in a way that can't be mirrored on the Shop app. So, if a store uses an app like Locksmith (or like the ones listed above), Shopify will consider that store ineligible for the Shop app, entirely.
The intent is to make Locksmith available to everyone, while paying ourselves the respect of asking for a fair price, and while recognizing that we can't perfectly guess what value you'll get from the app. So, we start with a suggested price, based on how much you're paying for Shopify itself.
Inevitably, things come up. It's part of the internet, it's part of doing business. Our goal is to give you speed and ability. If we ever fail at that, know that it's not a failure of intent. Reach out – we're here to help.
You're looking at it. :) We have introductions, guides, FAQs, the lot of it. If we're missing something, just ask.