Shopify POS "App failed to load" on an app tile: what to do
Updated · 6 min read
By Invenire Studios, makers of Countermade
The short answer
“App failed to load” means Shopify POS couldn’t open that app’s screen. Try these in order: force close and reopen Shopify POS, resync it, update it, and if it still fails, turn on Allow Cross-Website Tracking for Shopify POS in the iPad’s Settings. If tiles fail only on one network, that network must allow cdn.shopify.com and extensions.shopifycdn.com. Don’t delete and reinstall Shopify POS: you can lose saved carts and the logs Shopify Support needs.
What does “App failed to load” mean in Shopify POS?
“App failed to load” means Shopify POS couldn’t open the screen of the app behind that tile. The cause is usually the shop’s connection or that iPad’s copy of POS, and sometimes the app itself. If the tile is stuck loading instead, try the same fixes.
Use this table to find which fix to try first.
| What you see | Most likely | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Every app tile fails, on every device and every network | A wider issue | If nothing fixes it, starting with Shopify Status |
| Every app tile fails, but only on the shop Wi-Fi | The network is filtering | Which domains to allow |
| Tiles fail on one iPad only | That device’s session, version or settings | Force close and resync, update, Cross-Website Tracking |
| A tile fails for one staff member but opens for others on the same iPad | Something on that staff account | Ask the store owner to review that person’s POS role under Settings > Users > Roles in the admin |
| One app’s tile fails everywhere | The app | Contact that app’s developer |
| The tile isn’t there, or not at one location | Smart grid setup | Why the tile is missing |
If the checkout screen itself won’t open, that’s a different error: see Shopify POS “Couldn’t load checkout”.
How do I force close and resync Shopify POS?
Swipe up on Shopify POS in the iPad’s App Switcher to force-quit it, then reopen it. Shopify’s POS troubleshooting page says quitting and reopening also resyncs the app. To resync by hand, tap the Connectivity icon, then Shopify, then Refresh in the Store data section. Try the tile once more before moving on.
How do I check that Shopify POS is up to date?
Tap the Connectivity icon, then This device. If POS says an operating system update is required, install it first from the iPad’s Settings > General > Software Update, ideally when the counter is quiet. Then, in the App version row, tap Download latest update if one is available. Shopify puts the iPad’s software first because an out-of-date iPad might not be offered the latest POS update.
For the year’s POS changes that matter at a counter, see what changed in Shopify POS in 2026.
Do I need to turn on Allow Cross-Website Tracking for Shopify POS apps?
If your iPad runs iOS 15.1 or later and you use third-party apps in POS, Shopify says you might need to turn on Allow Cross-Website Tracking. Open the iPad’s Settings app, tap Shopify POS, and turn on Allow Cross-Website Tracking. Reopen POS and check the tile.
Which domains does my network need to allow for Shopify POS apps?
Shopify says that to use POS apps, “your network must allow access to” two domains: cdn.shopify.com and extensions.shopifycdn.com. Shopify also says to configure your firewall and content filtering “to allow traffic from both domains”. If a filter blocks either one, app tiles can fail on that network.
Both quotes are from Shopify’s Managing your POS apps page (Shopify calls these apps POS UI extensions).
The rest of Shopify POS needs a longer list of domains. Its network setup page lists them all, to allow on all ports. Your store’s custom domains go on the list too, and if your firewall filters by geographical location, Shopify says to turn that filter off.
Before you call anyone, put the iPad on a phone hotspot and open the app. If it loads there but not on the shop Wi-Fi, the network is the likely cause: send the network setup page to whoever runs the shop’s router, firewall or managed Wi-Fi.
Why is the app missing from the smart grid, or only at some locations?
A tile appears only after the app is installed and someone adds it to the smart grid. Tiles belong to a smart grid template, and a template applies to the locations that use it, so a location on a different template won’t show the tile.
Install the app first, from Settings > Apps in the admin (filter the Shopify App Store by Works with Shopify POS). Then add the tile from the admin:
- Go to Sales channels > Point of Sale.
- In Customize the in-store experience, click Edit for POS app. This section shows only after you’ve set up a POS device.
- In the Smart grid section, select the template.
- Click Add tile, then Embedded Apps, then the app.
- Click Save. The tile is available at every location that uses that template.
On the iPad, tap Add tile in the smart grid, pick the app and tap Save. Shopify’s smart grid help says only the store owner or staff with the Customize smart grid permission can do this, and changes made on the device apply only to the location that’s logged in.
Apps that add an action or a panel inside other POS screens (such as a draft order’s screen) aren’t tiles. Switch those on in the same POS editor: under Apps for Point of Sale, click the app’s extension, turn on Activate on and click Save.
Should I delete and reinstall Shopify POS?
No. Shopify’s troubleshooting page says: “Don’t delete and re-install Shopify POS if you experience any problems.” Deleting it removes the app logs Shopify Support uses to help you, and you might lose saved carts and register shifts. Send Shopify a report from the device instead.
Before anything that logs the iPad out of POS, open Orders and look for orders with a Payment pending badge. Shopify’s offline payments help says offline card payments are saved on the device and process once it reconnects. If you’re logged out while offline, you’ll need to log back in to process them. On other orders, such as ones with payment terms or a manual payment method, the same badge means something else; see what “Payment pending” means.
What if nothing fixes the app tile?
Check whether Shopify POS itself is having problems, send Shopify a report from the device, then contact Shopify Support and the app’s developer. On Shopify Status, look at the Point of Sale component; Shopify notes that issues affecting a small percentage of stores may not show there. To send the report:
- Tap the Connectivity icon.
- Tap This device, then View diagnostics.
- Tap Send report. Your feedback and the device’s application logs go to Shopify.
What do Pay Link and Prep Ticket do in Shopify POS?
Pay Link and Prep Ticket, from Countermade (the Shopify POS apps from Invenire Studios), both need Shopify POS Pro. Pay Link turns an order built in Shopify POS into a link the customer pays on Shopify’s own secure checkout. Prep Ticket prints a price-free prep ticket from a draft order through the iPad’s print dialog (AirPrint).
With Pay Link, staff never see or type card details. They see the total up front, with a note when checkout will add shipping (turn on local pickup so customers can choose it), and can see whether a link has been paid. More on how Shopify payment links work.
Prep Ticket’s ticket lists items, quantities, customer and notes. With no printer set up, staff are told so and offered the print dialog. If the iPad can’t see a printer, see No AirPrint printers found.
For the plan difference, see Lite vs Pro for counter orders. If Pay Link or Prep Ticket won’t load in POS, work through the same fixes in order.
Next step
Neither app is on the Shopify App Store yet. Join early access and we’ll email you when they’re ready to try.
Pick one app or both
Thanks. You’re on the list, and we’ll email you when each app is ready to try.
Common questions
Why does my Shopify POS app say “App failed to load”?
Which websites does Shopify POS need for app tiles?
Will reinstalling Shopify POS fix an app tile?
Why can’t I see an app’s tile on my POS?
How do I know if Shopify POS is down?
Read next
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- Guide How to take pre-orders at the counter in Shopify POS Shopify pre-orders are online only. Here’s the POS routine for dated counter and phone orders.