Beacon Messenger

Shopify Canvas and Beacon Messenger: what works today

By the Beacon Wave Studio team · Published · 3 min read

Shopify Canvas can't add or configure app blocks or app embeds yet. How to tell if your theme is a Canvas theme, what that means for the WhatsApp chat button, and the workaround.

On October 1, 2026 Shopify introduced Canvas, a new way to design an online store: you describe what you want and Sidekick, Shopify's AI assistant, builds and edits the theme. It is in early access for certain stores and sits alongside the classic theme editor on the Online Store → Themes page. Shopify's announcement is Introducing Canvas and the merchant documentation is in the Shopify Help Center.

Beacon Messenger's storefront features, the WhatsApp chat button and the Share on WhatsApp block, are a Shopify theme app extension: an app embed and an app block that you turn on in the theme editor. This post covers what that means for a Canvas theme today, using only what Shopify has published.

What Canvas does not support yet

Shopify's page on customizing a theme in Canvas states: “You can't add or configure app blocks or app embeds in Canvas.” That applies to every app built on theme app extensions, not only Beacon Messenger. On a theme edited in Canvas there is currently no way to turn on the Beacon Messenger app embed or add the share block, so the chat button will not appear on that theme.

Shopify has said that support for app blocks and app embeds is coming before Canvas becomes the default editor, and that apps will not need changes for it. Beacon Messenger's embed and block will work in Canvas when that happens; we will update this post and remove the in-app notes at that point.

How to tell if a theme is a Canvas theme

  • It shows a Canvas badge on Online Store → Themes. A theme gets the badge when it is created with New on the Themes page, where Sidekick builds it from a description of your brand, or when an existing theme is copied with Duplicate in Canvas.
  • Edit theme opens Canvas rather than the classic theme editor. Once a theme has the badge it can only be edited in Canvas.
  • Themes edited in Canvas do not receive theme updates.
  • Canvas works only with Shopify-developed themes such as Dawn and Horizon, and with custom themes. Themes from third-party Theme Store developers are not supported, so those are never Canvas themes.

What to do today

Use a theme without the Canvas badge for Beacon Messenger. If you duplicated your theme into Canvas, the original stays editable in the classic editor with app embeds and blocks available as before. If you want a copy to experiment with, use Duplicate rather than Duplicate in Canvas. Then open the theme editor from the Chat button page in Beacon Messenger, turn on the WhatsApp chat app embed and, optionally, add the Share on WhatsApp block to product pages.

If you click Open theme editor in Beacon Messenger and the app embed is not offered, check the Themes page first: a Canvas badge on your live theme is the most likely reason. Nothing is wrong with the installation. Your agents, business hours and automations are unchanged, and WhatsApp order notifications are not theme features at all, so they keep sending on any theme.

The plans page lists what each Beacon Messenger plan includes; none of it depends on which editor your theme uses, apart from the chat button and share block described here.

Frequently asked questions

Does Beacon Messenger work with Shopify Canvas?

It works on any theme you edit in the standard Shopify theme editor. Themes created in Canvas or copied with Duplicate in Canvas can't add or configure app blocks or app embeds yet, so the chat button and share block are not available on them. Shopify has said support is coming before Canvas becomes the default editor. Until then, use a theme without the Canvas badge.

Can I move a Canvas theme back to the classic theme editor?

Shopify's documentation says a theme with the Canvas badge opens only in Canvas and does not describe a way to move it back. If you used Duplicate in Canvas, the original theme is still on your Themes page and still opens in the classic editor.

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