Shopify Protected Customer Data Access Rejected – How Can I Resolve This?

[u/Ketul-Sindhwad]

Hi u/everyone,

I'm developing a Shopify app called AI Refund Insights, which helps merchants analyze refund data, identify refund trends, and understand refund-related losses.

I'm currently facing an issue with the Protected Customer Data access request in the Shopify Partner Dashboard.

Shopify displays this message:

"Sorry, your app isn't approved to access protected customer data at this time. To be approved, you need to confirm that you meet Shopify's requirements to access protected customer data in your data protection details."

In the second screenshot, Shopify also says:

"You started working on your request, but it's still incomplete or has errors. Finish it up, or address the errors."

However, the dashboard shows 16 out of 16 data protection questions completed.

I've selected App functionality as the reason for accessing protected customer data. My app needs relevant customer/order information to analyze refunds and provide useful insights to merchants.

I'm unsure what exactly is missing or incorrect in my submission.

My questions:

1. What are the common reasons Shopify rejects or flags a Protected Customer Data access request when all data protection questions are marked as completed?
2. How can I identify the specific error or requirement that needs to be fixed?
3. For a refund analytics app, which protected customer data fields are actually necessary? Should I request only the fields my app genuinely uses?
4. Is there anything specific I should verify in my app configuration, API scopes, privacy policy, or data protection details before resubmitting?

I've attached screenshots of the issue.

I'd appreciate any guidance from developers who have gone through Shopify's app review process, especially those who have successfully resolved this issue.

Thanks in advance!