Cancelling the plan and uninstalling the app are not the same. If you cancel, the app stays installed and your store drops to the Free plan, keeping your configuration and your history. If you uninstall, returnEasier deletes the sessions instantly and, 48 hours later, anonymises your customer data and deletes the files. In both cases, the audit log is kept as legal proof. Before you leave, export your history.
Cancelling the plan ≠ uninstalling the app
| Aspect | Cancel the plan (→ Free) | Uninstall the app |
|---|---|---|
| App status | Stays installed | Removed from the store |
| Sessions | Kept | Deleted instantly |
| Plan | Drops to Free | Drops to Free + erasure after 48 h |
| Configuration | Kept | Deleted after 48 h |
| Orders and requests | Accessible (read only) | Anonymised after 48 h |
| Audit log | Intact | Intact (legal retention) |
| When | Immediate | Uninstall (now) + erasure (48 h) |
What happens when you cancel the plan
When you cancel the subscription from Shopify's plan page, returnEasier drops your store to the Free plan as soon as Shopify reports it. The app stays installed and you keep:
- Access to the app and to your request inbox (read only for anything that requires a higher plan).
- The withdrawal button active: it is mandatory by law and is never blocked, not even on Free.
- Your configuration (language, policy, button branding).
What changes is the quota (Free includes 3 trial returns) and that the commercial features (exchanges, credits, rules) are deactivated. You can subscribe to a plan again whenever you want. The billing detail is in 'Changing plan and billing'.
What happens when you uninstall
When you uninstall the app, two things happen at two moments:
Instantly (uninstall webhook):
- All your store's sessions are deleted. The token is revoked by Shopify; the app stops working within seconds.
- The store is marked as uninstalled (with its time stamp).
- The store row and the audit log are kept (the log references them).
48 hours later (shop erasure, shop/redact):
- Customer email and name are anonymised in the orders; the notes are deleted.
- The withdrawal PDFs, customer photos and shipping labels are deleted from R2.
- The configuration (legal settings, branding, Sendcloud keys) is cleared and the token is redacted.
- The event audit log is kept as proof of legal compliance.
Those 48 hours are set by Shopify, they are not configurable by returnEasier. (To be precise: there is no '30-day' window nor an automatic export reminder; the moment of the deep erasure is marked by Shopify's webhook at 48 h.)
Export your history BEFORE uninstalling
This is important: once the app is uninstalled, you can no longer access the export screen. Before you leave:
- Go to Compliance → Export in the app.
- Leave the date range empty (or whatever you need) and export.
- Save the ZIP with your requests, events and PDFs.
There is no automatic reminder: the export is always available in Settings, but you have to launch it yourself. The complete procedure and the limits are in 'What is the audit log and how do I export my auditable history?'. What is kept and what is deleted at the GDPR level is detailed in 'How does returnEasier comply with the GDPR for your customers' data?'.