Apple Adds Warning to Scare Users Away From Apps With External Purchases

Apple has started adding warnings to discourage users from apps that offer external purchases.

The warning was spotted by user @maric_vikto, who shared a screenshot on X, saying, "First time seeing this. Apple will punish the apps with external payment system."

The screenshot shows the App Store page for Instacar. At the very top of the page, above the app's name and icon, a new critical warning is displayed alongside a red exclamation mark inside a red triangle:


"This app does not support the App Store's private and secure payment system. It uses external purchases. Learn More."

Notably, the use of the exclamation mark triangle appears to violate Apple's own guidelines for its use.

Apple tells developers: "Use a caution symbol sparingly. Using a caution symbol like exclamationmark.triangle too frequently in your alerts diminishes its significance. Use the symbol only when extra attention is really needed, as when confirming an action that might result in unexpected loss of data."

Additionally, the warning may suggest that the app does not provide private and secure payment systems—which, in most cases, would be false. Finally, it may also violate the Digital Markets Act, which prohibits providers from using scare screens to steer users away from external purchases.


This development follows a recent U.S. court ruling that barred Apple from imposing commissions on external purchases, a decision that led to updated App Store guidelines allowing developers to include external payment links without fees. Apple is complying with that ruling, but has appealed.

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Update:
It appears this warning has been present for quite some time; however, most users haven't encountered it as few apps have gone through the difficult process required to offer external purchases in the EU. After initial feedback, Apple proposed changing the notification; however, the EU purportedly told the company to hold off on making any changes.