Installation

FilterIQ is in private preview. Request access before planning installation. If accepted, use the installation path supplied by the team and confirm the plan and integration available to your store.

Prepare and Install

Document your current search, filter and other app settings.
Create a duplicate theme and keep the current theme available as a rollback path.
Follow the supplied installation link, review Shopify's permission screen and confirm the installation only for the intended store.
Open FilterIQ through Shopify admin and check setup and sync status before activating it in the duplicate theme.

A duplicate theme isolates theme edits, not all app configuration. Confirm store-wide changes with the team before changing shared settings or publishing filters.

Permissions We Request

Review the actual permissions shown by Shopify during installation. Read the permissions guide and Privacy Policy for the documented purposes and data-handling commitments. Ask the team about any permission you do not understand before approving it; this installation guide does not define a separate permission policy.

What Gets Installed

1. Admin App

The main app interface in your Shopify admin. Access it via Apps > FilterIQ. This is where you configure search, filters, merchandising, and view analytics.

2. Theme App Extension

A Shopify Theme App Extension that adds the search widget and filter sidebar to your storefront. This is the recommended integration method because:

No code injection — it uses Shopify's official extension system
No theme file modifications — your theme files remain untouched
Automatic updates — when we release improvements, your store gets them automatically
Theme editor controls — enable or disable the embed in the selected theme, then revalidate after theme updates

3. App Proxy

A Shopify App Proxy at /apps/search-filter that handles server-side search requests. This enables:

Server-side search for SEO
Secure API communication
Reduced client-side JavaScript

Activating the Theme Extension

After installing the app, you need to activate the Theme App Extension in your theme:

Go to Online Store > Themes and open the editor for the duplicate theme
Click App embeds in the left sidebar
Find FilterIQ and toggle it on
Click Save

Open the duplicate theme preview and verify the search input, collection grid and filter placement. Test desktop and mobile, empty results, sorting and other app interactions. Publish only after those checks and the rollback procedure are accepted.

Supported Themes

FilterIQ is built as a Theme App Extension for Online Store 2.0. Compatibility depends on the exact theme/version, templates and other integrations. Use the theme validation guide. For vintage or custom storefronts, confirm integration options with the team before attempting activation.

Uninstalling

For a store where FilterIQ is already installed, first restore and test the previous search integration if it is still needed. Then uninstall through Shopify:

Go to Settings > Apps and sales channels in your Shopify admin
Find FilterIQ
Click Uninstall

When you uninstall:

The Theme App Extension is automatically removed
Your product data is deleted from our database and search index within 48 hours of uninstallation (matches our Privacy Policy and Shopify's standard shop/redact webhook timing)
Review any manual theme customizations separately and confirm the expected storefront behaviour after removal

Troubleshooting Installation

"App could not be installed"

Ensure you have admin access to your Shopify store
Try clearing your browser cache and attempting again
If the issue persists, contact support@filteriq.app

Theme Extension not appearing

Make sure you've enabled the app embed in Online Store > Themes > Customize > App embeds
Check that your theme supports Online Store 2.0 app extensions
Compare with another duplicate theme preview; keep the live theme unchanged while diagnosing placement

Products not appearing in search

Confirm that the accepted installation has started syncing the intended catalogue
Timing depends on catalogue coverage, service conditions and any sync errors
Check the Sync Status indicator in the app dashboard