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If the customer sent a message without leaving an email or a phone number, we cannot follow up with the customer once he/she went offline. For this reason alone, I stopped using inbox.
The problem above is solved on 26 Aug 2026. We are back on shopify inbox again.
Just one thing, when the customer went offline, and received an email to view the converstaion, if the customer is using another device and click on view the converstation, he/she will not be able to see any previous messages. Not a big issue.
On sign-in: a new setting now lets customers start a chat by sharing just their name and email instead of signing in, like the previous Inbox. It is available now under Sales channels > Inbox > Chat settings > Collect customer details. Choose Require name and email there (the other options are Require customers to sign-in and Allow anonymous chats). One note: this applies to chats with your team. The AI agent still answers anonymous visitors instantly, by design, so customers get help in seconds even while you are offline. We default to sign-in because it confirms the customer owns the email they leave, so your replies reach a real person, but the choice is yours.
Overall, Shopify Inbox works pretty well and I’m happy with it. The main issue is the z-index/layering of the chat activation button.
The chat button often overlaps or covers other important elements on the storefront, such as the cart drawer, Quick Add buttons, and email pop-up windows. It would be great if Shopify could provide better control over the chat button’s z-index or update its default layering behavior so it doesn’t interfere with other storefront elements.
Everything else is pretty good — this is just a small but quite annoying UI issue that I hope can be improved in a future update.
The new AI version of this app is not as good as the previous version. Despite creating several custom FAQ answers detailing the store location and having it select the correct answer in the test feature, I can not get the AI to give the store address when asking from the customer side of the app.
The recent Shopify Inbox update has made chat significantly worse for our small business, and I’m hoping Shopify takes the merchant feedback seriously.
We’re a small, family-owned store, and the owners personally answer customer chats. Live chat is an important part of how we help people before they purchase, so being able to understand who we’re talking to and keep a conversation together matters a lot.
Before this update, a visitor could give us their first name before starting a conversation, optionally leave an email address so we could reply if they left the site, and we could see useful context such as their location, cart, and customer/order information when available.
Since the update, we’ve run into several major problems:
1. Visitors who don’t sign into Shop come through as “Shopify Visitor” with virtually no useful identity or context.
2. We no longer get a first name before chat, which makes multiple conversations much harder to keep organized.
3. We lose useful information such as location and cart contents unless the customer signs into Shop.
4. Customers seem to get dropped from conversations constantly. If they close the chat window or leave the site, they often appear to go offline and then come back in a new conversation/thread.
5. Because those conversations are being separated, a returning customer may think they are continuing the conversation we were already having, while on our end they can look like a completely different anonymous visitor.
6. Even when a visitor does sign in, we have experienced cases where their previous purchases from our store still are not visible to us in Inbox.
7. The result is that we can spend part of a conversation trying to figure out whether this is the same person we were just helping, what they were considering buying, or whether they have already purchased from us.
8. Requiring someone to create or sign into a Shop account just to provide basic identity and shopping context adds unnecessary friction for customers who simply want to ask a question before making a purchase.
This is not just a cosmetic change to the chat widget. It has materially reduced the information available to merchants and made conversation continuity much less reliable.
The previous system worked extremely well for a small business like ours: collect a first name, make email optional, preserve the visitor’s conversation, show us their shopping context, and allow us to help them without forcing them to create an account.
I understand Shopify’s desire to improve verified customer identity and security, but merchants should have the option to choose the previous, lower-friction experience.
Please restore the ability to collect a visitor’s first name with optional email, maintain continuity for returning visitors, and give merchants access to the cart, location, and customer/order context we previously had.
Shopify Inbox used to be one of the most useful tools we had for providing personal customer service. This update has made that considerably harder.
Thank you for laying this out so clearly. You described exactly what we heard from many merchants: you want to know who you are talking to and keep one conversation together. We built that option back. A new Inbox setting lets a visitor share their name and email to start a chat, the way Inbox worked before, and it is rolling out to all stores now under Sales channels > Inbox > Chat settings > Collect customer details. Choose Require name and email there (the other options are Require customers to sign-in and Allow anonymous chats). One note: this applies to chats with your team. The AI agent still answers anonymous visitors instantly, by design, so customers get help in seconds even while you are offline. We default to sign-in because it confirms the customer owns the email they leave, so your replies reach a real person; now you can pick the path that fits your store. The separate bugs you flagged are with our engineers, and I am following that work directly.
The new upgrade is extremely frustrating. Why are you forcing customers to sign in just to get an answer? This is a huge turn-off and adds an unnecessary barrier to what should be a simple customer service interaction.
There is also no back button, so once a customer has viewed one Instant Answer, they cannot return to the previous options without refreshing the entire website. Realistically, at that point many customers will simply leave the site. This is a significant step backwards in terms of usability.
Thank you, this is fair feedback on both points. On sign-in: a new setting now lets customers start a chat by sharing just their name and email instead of signing in, like the previous Inbox. It is rolling out to all stores now under Sales channels > Inbox > Chat settings > Collect customer details. Choose Require name and email there (the other options are Require customers to sign-in and Allow anonymous chats). One note: this applies to chats with your team. The AI agent still answers anonymous visitors instantly, by design, so customers get help in seconds even while you are offline. We default to sign-in because it confirms the customer owns the email they leave, so your replies reach a real person, but the choice is yours. On the missing back button after an Instant Answer, you are right and I have passed it to the team.
The app’s usefulness was greatly diminished when they stopped gathering emails. Visitors chatting with us are now not getting responses because we have no way of following up. Not everyone wants to login to chat, either.
We’ll have to find a different solution.
Thank you for spelling out the impact. You are right that without an email there is no way to follow up when a visitor leaves. We built the option back: a new Inbox setting lets visitors share their name and email to start a chat, no login needed, so your replies can reach them again. It is rolling out to all stores now under Sales channels > Inbox > Chat settings > Collect customer details. Choose Require name and email there (the other options are Require customers to sign-in and Allow anonymous chats). One note: this applies to chats with your team. The AI agent still answers anonymous visitors instantly, by design, so customers get help in seconds even while you are offline. We default to sign-in because it confirms the customer owns the email they leave, but you can now choose the lighter path. I hope you will give Inbox another look before switching.
Very Disappointing Update – Not User Friendly
The latest Shopify Inbox update is a major step backward. It feels completely unintuitive and has removed the basic navigation and menu options that made the app useful.
There is no proper navigation, no easy menu for finding instant answers, and basic functionalities are unnecessarily difficult to access. It feels like the development team has focused too much on AI and forgotten the fundamental needs of users.
AI should enhance the user experience, not replace basic navigation and essential functionalities. Users shouldn't have to struggle, log in, or depend entirely on AI just to find simple answers or access common features.
Honestly, I don't see much value in using the app in its current form. This update is frustrating, confusing, and a significant downgrade from the previous experience.
Thank you for the detailed feedback. On sign-in: customers no longer need to log in to reach you. A new setting lets them start a chat by sharing just their name and email, like the earlier Inbox, and it is rolling out to all stores now under Sales channels > Inbox > Chat settings > Collect customer details. Choose Require name and email there (the other options are Require customers to sign-in and Allow anonymous chats). One note: this applies to chats with your team. The AI agent still answers anonymous visitors instantly, by design, so customers get help in seconds even while you are offline. We default to sign-in because it confirms the customer owns the email they leave, but the choice is yours. The AI agent is also optional and can be turned off in the same settings. Your notes on navigation and Instant Answers are with the team.
Was a 1-star, edited back to 4-star! Shopify has fixed the customer log-in requirement! HURRAY! Now we have an option to collect Name & Email only. This is a great move Shopify. Only room for improvement would be handoff from AI agent to Human, we turned it off only due to not knowing what the agent was up to - otherwise it actually did everything great.
Thanks, and following up on my email: there is now a middle option, not just the sign-in toggle. A new Inbox setting lets customers share their name and email to start a chat without signing in, like the old Inbox, so you get contact details for after-hours follow-up without adding login friction. It is rolling out to all stores now under Sales channels > Inbox > Chat settings > Collect customer details. Choose Require name and email there (the other options are Require customers to sign-in and Allow anonymous chats). One note: this applies to chats with your team. The AI agent still answers anonymous visitors instantly, by design, so customers get help in seconds even while you are offline. We default to sign-in because it confirms the customer owns the email they leave, but you now have both paths.
Terrible update. Forcing customers to sign in just to ask a quick question completely destroys lead generation. No one wants to create an account just to chat. If we turn it off, we have nothing to contacting back to customers. We have already lost 10 high-value customers on products worth over $1,000 each. Bring back the simple guest form with just email/phone fields immediately!
Thank you for the specifics, including the lost sales. That feedback drove this change: the simple form is back. A new Inbox setting lets customers start a chat by sharing just their name and email, no account needed, and it is rolling out to all stores now under Sales channels > Inbox > Chat settings > Collect customer details. Choose Require name and email there (the other options are Require customers to sign-in and Allow anonymous chats). One note: this applies to chats with your team. The AI agent still answers anonymous visitors instantly, by design, so customers get help in seconds even while you are offline. We default to sign-in because it confirms the customer owns the email they leave, so follow-ups reach real buyers, but lead capture is now your choice to make. I am sorry it cost you customers in the meantime.
The updated version is extremely difficult to use, and customers are unwilling to use it. Customer inquiries have decreased significantly!
We are looking for alternatives.
Thank you, and following up on my email: based on what you shared with support, the verification step was the blocker, and it is now optional. A new Inbox setting lets customers start a chat by sharing just their name and email, no code, like the previous Inbox. It is rolling out to all stores now under Sales channels > Inbox > Chat settings > Collect customer details. Choose Require name and email there (the other options are Require customers to sign-in and Allow anonymous chats). One note: this applies to chats with your team. The AI agent still answers anonymous visitors instantly, by design, so customers get help in seconds even while you are offline. We default to verified sign-in because it confirms the customer owns the email they leave, but you can now choose the lower friction path and win those inquiries back.
