Google has updated us on the Google and YouTube Shopify app issue with uninstalling and reinstalling the app. In short, do not do it, do not uninstall and reinstall the app. Google said it will handle the API transition for you. If you do uninstall and reinstall the app, it can currently lead to issues, which Google is working on fixing with Shopify.
As we covered earlier, that there was a rumor that you need to reinstall the app before the Merchant API replaces the Content API by August 18th. In fact, you should NOT do this, you should just keep the app as is and Google will handle the migration itself.
Google updated its help document in the FAQs section to say:
(Q) Do I need to do anything to migrate from Content API to Merchant API?
(A) No action needed. If you use the Google & YouTube app on Shopify to manage your GMC feeds, the Content API to Merchant API migration will be handled by Google.
Ginny Marvin, the Google Ads Liaison added on LinkedIn more details. She said:
The team has looked into it and I wanted to clarify some confusion around the upcoming Merchant API migration and Shopify product IDs:Merchant API migration is underway:
This is a standard Google transition for all Content API users, which does not rewrite product IDs. Impacted API users have been notified directly with migration resources. The migration deadline is August 18.No action is needed for the migration:
If you use the Google & YouTube app on Shopify, you do not need to uninstall and reinstall it. The API transition is handled automatically. This Help Center FAQ has more info.Product ID changes are separate:
Reinstalling the app is what currently triggers the ID formatting changes (leading to loss in historical performance stats). This is a *separate* bug impacting a small number of merchants, and we are actively deploying a fix in the coming weeks. We recommend leaving your app connected as is.
Emmanuel Flossie also covered this in more detail over here.
Forum discussion at LinkedIn.
