What does AddressPilot actually do?
AddressPilot checks shipping addresses while the buyer is still in checkout, before the order is placed. It has two parts: a free rules engine that blocks common delivery problems on every plan, and an optional real-time address verification feature for Shopify Plus stores.
Does AddressPilot work on my plan?
The rules engine works on every Shopify plan, including Basic. Real-time address autocomplete and verification is a Shopify Plus-only feature — this is a platform restriction set by Shopify, not a limitation of AddressPilot.
What problems can the rules engine block?
You can choose which rules to turn on: missing house/street numbers, PO boxes, specific blocked zip/postal codes, special characters in the address, address line length limits, military (APO/FPO/DPO) addresses, apartment/suite numbers left in the wrong field, and specific allowed countries. For Germany, it also supports DHL Packstation and Paketshop validation.
Will AddressPilot ever change my customer’s address without asking?
No. On the free rules engine, a bad address is simply blocked with a message asking the buyer to fix it — nothing is changed automatically. On Shopify Plus, the real-time verification feature only suggests corrected addresses; the buyer always has to pick a suggestion themselves. Nothing is silently rewritten.
What happens when checkout is blocked?
The buyer sees an inline error message explaining what to fix (for example, “Please include a house/street number in your address”). Once they correct it, the error clears and checkout proceeds normally.
Can I customize the error messages?
Yes. Every rule has a default message, but you can override any of them with your own wording from the Address rules page.
Does AddressPilot read or modify my orders?
No. AddressPilot doesn’t request any order-related permissions and has no access to your Orders API data. All checking happens live during checkout, before the order exists.
What customer data does AddressPilot access?
Only the shipping address fields being typed at checkout (address line 1/2 and zip/postal code) in order to validate them. Name, email, and phone number are not used.
Is AddressPilot free?
Yes, the app is currently free to install and use, with no billing step required.
Will this slow down checkout?
No. The rules engine runs as a Shopify Function directly inside checkout, with no added delay and no API calls. The real-time verification feature (Plus only) calls an address lookup service only while the buyer is actively typing a suggestion.
How do I turn on the rules engine?
Go to Address rules in your Shopify admin, enable the rules you want, and save. Then go to Settings > Checkout > Checkout rules, add the AddressPilot rule, save, and click Turn on.
How do I turn on real-time verification (Shopify Plus)?
Enable “Real-time verification” on the Address rules page, then go to Settings > Checkout > Customize > Settings tab > Address autocompletion, and select AddressPilot as your address autocomplete provider.