Developer Changelog / Customer data & privacy

Customer data erasure requests
Hold period shortened from 10 days to 5 days

Starting November 10, 2026, customer data erasure requests are processed 5 days after the request is submitted, regardless of the customer's most recent order date. The only exception is recipients of scheduled gift cards.

On this page
  1. What's changing (30-second overview)
  2. Timeline: from request to processing
  3. The only exception: scheduled gift cards
  4. Before vs. after
  5. What the announcement covers and what it doesn't
  6. 5 key points for developers
  7. 3 practical use cases
  8. One-line summary for proposals

1What's changing

Until now, customer data erasure requests were held in a pending state for 10 days .
Starting November 10, 2026, they are processed 5 days after the request is submitted . When the customer last placed an order no longer matters.
5

Period: 5 days

Processed 5 days after the date the request is submitted.

Most recent order date doesn't matter

A flat 5 days, regardless of when the customer's latest order was.

Exception: gift card recipients

Requests stay pending until any scheduled gift card has been delivered.

2Timeline: from request to processing

Before After Pending for 10 days Request submitted Processed 012345678910 days Processed after 5 days Request submitted Processing 012345 days Wait shortened by 5 days Applies uniformly, regardless of most recent order date
The article states: "no longer be held in a pending state for 10 days"→"processed 5 days after the request was submitted, regardless of when the customer's most recent order was placed".
The starting point is the request submission date, and as a condition, the most recent order date is not considered — this is stated explicitly.

3The only exception: scheduled gift cards

Scheduled to send Gift card Erasure requests from recipients stay pending The 5-day rule does not apply Delivered Hold released (Timing of processing after this is not specified)
This applies to "recipients of gift cards scheduled to send". Erasure requests remain pending until the gift card is delivered. The article does not say how many days after delivery they are processed.

4Before vs. after

ItemBeforeAfter (from 2026/11/10)
Hold period 10 days pending 5 days Processed 5 days after submission
Effect of most recent order date Not stated (the article explicitly says it "no longer matters") No effect Uniform regardless of order timing
Scheduled gift card recipients Not stated Exception Pending until delivered
Goal — Simplifying the customer data request management experience
What merchants and developers need to do — Not stated

5What the article does and doesn't say

Stated

Facts stated explicitly

Effective date: November 10, 2026
The 10-day pending period is removed
Processed 5 days after submission
Most recent order date no longer matters
Recipients of scheduled gift cards stay pending until delivery
Purpose: simplify the management experience

Not stated

What isn't covered

Changes to API/webhook behavior or payloads
Handling of requests already pending
Changes to the admin UI
Plan or region restrictions
Processing timing after gift card delivery

The article doesn't cover the impact on apps (for example, when to delete data from your own database after receiving an erasure notification). If your app has logic tied to customer data erasure, verify the actual notification timing on a development store to be safe.

65 key points for developers

1. Lead time before erasure is cut in half

10 days → 5 days. If your workflows assume you can read or back up customer data before erasure, you now have less time to do so.

2. The clock starts at submission, not the order date

Since processing no longer depends on the most recent order date, you can simply estimate the scheduled date as "request submission date + 5 days."

Exception

3. Gift card recipients are handled separately

Recipients of scheduled gift cards stay pending until delivery is complete. Don't write tests that assume data is always erased within 5 days.

API ?

4. No API/webhook changes are mentioned

The article only covers the timing change. Notification formats and API differences aren't described, so integrated apps should verify behavior in practice.

5. Update internal docs and customer-facing explanations

If your privacy policy, support FAQs, or runbooks say "10 days" "5 days (after delivery for scheduled gift card recipients)" update them to match. The effective date is November 10, 2026.

73 practical use cases

5 days
USE CASE 1

Revisit your integrated app's pre-erasure data backup

Challenge
A weekly batch job backs up anonymized data for analytics and auditing before customer data is erased, relying on the 10-day window.
Solution
Increase the batch frequency so it runs within the 5-day window. Calculate the scheduled date as "submission date + 5 days."
Impact
Prevents missed data backups while avoiding the operational risk of delaying erasure.
Technical notes
The article doesn't mention any changes to notification timing or format. Verify by sending a real erasure request on a development store.
USE CASE 2

Setting up a CS workflow for stores with high gift demand

Challenge
Stores that rely heavily on scheduled gift card delivery for year-end holidays and anniversaries get inquiries like "I requested erasure, but my data is still there."
Approach
State clearly in the CS FAQ: "For recipients of scheduled gift cards, erasure is held until delivery is complete."
Impact
Responses to inquiries become consistent, and privacy handling becomes more reliable.
Technical notes
The article doesn't say how many days after delivery the request is processed. Don't state a specific number of days in the FAQ.
10 5
USE CASE 3

Updating all privacy-related documentation at once

Challenge
Operations manuals, app privacy descriptions, and client maintenance docs still say "erasure happens after 10 days."
Approach
Search for every mention of "10 days" and rewrite it as "5 days after the request is sent (from Nov 10, 2026) / scheduled gift card recipients are the exception."
Impact
Explanations to customers and clients now match actual behavior.
Technical notes
If you need to distinguish behavior before and after the change, state the effective date: November 10, 2026.

8One-line summary for proposals

"Starting November 10, 2026, customer data erasure requests
are processed 5 days after they're sent, regardless of the most recent order date (previously pending for 10 days).
The only exception is recipients of scheduled gift cards. Review your data backup processes and any '10 days' references in your documentation."