- Apple faces backlash in over warning messages on apps not using its payment system, despite recent rulings allowing third-party payments.
- The warnings, part of Apple’s DMA Compliance Plan since March 2024, discourage users from apps using external purchases.
- The controversy resurfaces due to Apple’s past practices and ongoing legal battles with Epic Games.
It’s been almost two weeks since a US court ruled against Apple in their legal battle against Epic Games, forcing the Cupertino Giant to change its App Store Guidelines to allow third-party payment links without charging a commission. However, some users have recently reported seeing a warning sign for apps that are not using the company’s internal payment system on the Apple App Store.
Several users in the EU region have spotted a warning sign with a red exclamation mark for certain apps on the Apple App Store page. The warning states, “This app does not support App Store’s private and secure payment system. It uses external purchases“. It essentially discourages users from using such apps, even though they are allowed under the new EU law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
However, according to TechCrunch, Apple has confirmed to the publication that this is not a new occurrence. These warnings have been in place on the EU App Store since the company’s DMA Compliance Plan, which came out in March 2024. This clears the fact that this is not a rebellious move by the iPhone maker, and something that has existed before the recent rulings.
The post in question, which started the outrage, shared a screenshot of the Instacar app, which is available in the EU version of the App Store. It shows the same warning message right at the top of the page.
This clears any doubts that the warning has anything to do with the recent rulings. However, it is understandable why it is getting all the attention now, given Apple’s previous practices and their comments on appealing the recent court decision.
