Why it stops without a warning
A token or login stopped working. Most server senders use an access token or a login to send to each platform. When the token is revoked, expires or loses access to the pixel, the platform refuses the events. The sender may keep running and show itself as connected. See Meta Conversions API access token stopped working.
The app lost its link to the store. An app pixel can show Disconnected in Shopify's Customer events, or the app's order connection can stop after a reinstall, a plan change or a permission change. See Shopify says your app pixel is disconnected.
A change on the store. A new theme, a new checkout app or a new cookie banner can stop what was sending. See Purchases dropped after a theme or app change.
A setting changed on the platform. A pixel removed from a dataset, a conversion action set to inactive, or a new data restriction on the platform's side. On Meta, one such restriction is a dataset put on Core setup; see Meta put your dataset on Core setup.
Nobody was watching. Most dashboards show what was sent, not what should have been sent. A day with zero server purchases looks the same as a quiet day unless someone compares it with the store's orders.
Check it yourself
- 1In Meta Events Manager, open Datasets, choose the pixel your ads use and open Overview. Click the Purchase row, then View Details: under Event breakdown, with Data source picked, the chart shows Total browser events received and Direct Conversions API by day. If Direct Conversions API stops on one day while browser events go on, the server connection ended that day.
- 2Open the History tab. Meta lists changes made to your pixel and Conversions API, when they were made and who made them. A change on the day the line stopped is your lead.
- 3Open the Diagnostics tab and read each issue Meta lists.
- 4In Google Analytics 4, open the Realtime report and place a test purchase, or wait for the next real one. If the purchase does not appear, Google Analytics 4 is not getting it.
- 5For each platform, compare its purchases for the last 7 days with your paid online orders in Shopify for the same days. A platform far below your orders on days when nothing else changed is not getting your purchases.
- 6Note the day it stopped. Meta accepts events that are at most 7 days old, so purchases older than that cannot be sent afterwards. Other platforms have their own limits.
- 7Fix the cause in the app that sends your purchases, then check Direct Conversions API again the next day.
FAQ
Can I get the missed purchases back?
Only inside each platform's limit. Meta accepts events up to 7 days old. A sender that kept the orders can send the ones still inside that window; older ones are lost for that platform.
Why did my app still say Connected?
Many apps show that the account is linked, not that the last orders arrived. The platform's own count, compared with your orders, is the check that tells you.
How often should I check?
A platform that stops on a Friday and is found on a Monday has gone three days without purchases. A check against your orders every day catches it within a day; a check every hour catches it sooner.
Does a drop always mean tracking stopped?
No. Fewer purchases can also come from fewer sales, a change in attribution, or consent. If your Shopify orders held steady and only one platform dropped, tracking is the likely cause. See Meta shows fewer purchases than Shopify.