Apple Store Customers Targeted With Creative AirDropped Ad Campaign to Promote 'Cheaper and Greener' Refurbished Devices

Apple Store customers in Paris, Berlin, and London shopping for a new iPhone were recently presented with a unique and creative surprise when they saw an AirDrop message appear on the devices that aimed to convince them to purchase a refurbished ‌iPhone‌ instead of a completely new model.

back market airdrop Large
The ad campaign by Back Market, a website that specializes in selling refurbished consumer electronics, consisted of sending an AirDrop message to iPhones on display in Apple's retail store that led to a webpage that promotes refurbished devices.

"Quick! Security isn't looking... It's time to go refurbished with a cheaper and greener model," the webpage read. "Did you know this ‌iPhone‌ is available in white, black, blue, and greener?" it added.

Back Market offers a wide range of refurbished devices for sale. Back Market offers a wide range of refurbished devices for sale, with prices varying depending on model and condition. Back Market says that a "refurbished phone represents 176 lbs off of our collective carbon footprint. Manufacturing a new smartphone produces about 191 lbs of CO2e. Refurbishing? Just 15 lbs. Lose the weight: no extra effort, just extra savings."

Apple does have its own refurbished program, but unlike Back Market, it's only currently offering the iPhone 11 Pro from three years ago for $919.

Popular Stories

iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Black Friday iPhone Deals Still Available

Friday November 28, 2025 6:24 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...
Cyber Monday Deals 2025

Best Cyber Monday Apple Deals Include Big Discounts on AirPods, Apple Watch, and More

Sunday November 30, 2025 7:33 am PST by
Now that Black Friday is in the rearview mirror, Cyber Monday discounts have begun appearing online, and you can find popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more at all-time low prices. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may ...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Apple's Big Plans for iPad Mini 8

Friday November 28, 2025 8:39 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through the latest rumors about Apple's upcoming iPad mini 8. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos The next-generation version of the iPad mini is expected to feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple...

Top Rated Comments

bLackjackj Avatar
47 months ago
Even better,..they managed to dupe MacRumors into advertising them for FREE! ?‍♂️
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
japanime Avatar
47 months ago
Oh, I'm for sure gonna click on an AirDropped link from somebody or something I don't know. ?

"Creative surprise"? Is that what you really think this is, Sami?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rorschach Avatar
47 months ago
This is why my AirDrop stays off or on "Contacts Only".
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ruka.snow Avatar
47 months ago
Well there is a company to strike off ever doing business with. It is completely unacceptable that they feel they are allowed to send messages to my or anyone else’s phone.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrENGLISH Avatar
47 months ago

Well there is a company to strike off ever doing business with. It is completely unacceptable that they feel they are allowed to send messages to my or anyone else’s phone.
Exactly! I'm also cringing at the idea that articles like this are also giving them all this free marketing exposure. I find all of this disgusting.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antiprotest Avatar
47 months ago
This looks like regular Airdrop spam. How is it "unique" and "creative"? Is there something different that I missed?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)