Viral outrage over Apple’s EU payment warnings misses key fact

Apple says the informing messages present appearing adjacent to EU App Store listings that usage third-party outgo systems are not really new.

According to a fig of caller reports, Apple added a informing with a reddish exclamation people adjacent to apps that it recovered were not utilizing its ain “private and unafraid outgo system.” The connection was seemingly meant to discourage users from utilizing outer outgo mechanisms, arsenic is present permitted nether the caller EU law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

However, the iPhone shaper confirmed to TechCrunch that these user-disclosure screens person been unrecorded connected the EU App Store since the opening of Apple’s DMA Compliance Plan backmost successful March 2024. They were not recently added, arsenic immoderate had reported.

It’s understandable that determination was interest implicit the informing screens, fixed that Apple conscionable suffered a large nonaccomplishment successful tribunal to Fortnite shaper Epic Games. The court’s determination forced Apple to let app developers successful the U.S. to nexus to outer outgo options without having to wage Apple’s commission. The institution is appealing that decision, and galore apt suspected the added EU warnings were portion of immoderate benignant of retaliatory program connected Apple’s part. Perhaps the institution wanted to nonstop a connection to developers that it would not springiness up commissions without a fight?

But since the screens are not new, different mentation is successful order.

The disorder appears to stem from a azygous post that gained traction connected the societal web X connected Monday. The station shows an App Store listing for an EU-based app called Instacar that features a connection informing users, “[T]his app does not enactment the App Store’s backstage and unafraid outgo system. It uses outer purchases.”

The cautionary connection besides points to a nexus that users tin click to “Learn More.”

“First clip seeing this,” wrote X idiosyncratic Viktor Maric, remarking connected the informing screen. “Apple volition punish the apps with outer outgo strategy [sic].”

Maric’s station was liked by thousands of X users and reposted by hundreds, including those successful the mobile developer community. Unsurprisingly, astir didn’t attraction for the message, calling it “malicious compliance” and “entitled” behaviour connected Apple’s part.

Opinions aside, the idiosyncratic disclosure surface itself is not new.

Apple pointed america to an X station from RevenueCat CEO Jacob Eiting, who, responding straight to Maric, correctly suggested that the disclosures are EU-only and “have been astir for a while.”

Eiting theorized that radical are conscionable present noticing these warnings due to the fact that fewer EU developers person bothered to instrumentality vantage of the outer purchases enactment that the DMA permits. (Apple critics person called retired the company’s DMA Compliance Plan arsenic being confusing and filled with “junk fees” meant to marque up for the mislaid commissions connected in-app purchases.)

In its effect to TechCrunch, Apple besides noted that it intended to update the connection aft archetypal pushback. In August 2024, the institution announced a bid of changes to its DMA program that would person included a alteration to the idiosyncratic disclosure screen. Instead of informing users of the dangers of utilizing outer purchases, the caller connection would person read: “Transactions successful this app are supported by the developer and not Apple.” (See below).

The tech elephantine claims that the European Commission (EC) raised nary objection to the updated connection but instructed Apple to clasp disconnected connected making immoderate changes. Without further guidance, Apple kept the existing surface successful place.

In April 2025, the EC fined Apple €500 million for non-compliance nether the Digital Markets Act. Apple is present appealing the decision.