Apple Slaps Warnings on Apps Using External Purchases in the EU [Updated]
Update: According to Apple, the user-disclosure screens have been live on the EU App Store since the beginning of Apple’s DMA Compliance Plan back in March 2024. The screen is not new. Original story follows.
Apple has begun placing prominent warning labels on EU App Store listings that use alternative payment methods. The warning symbols appear as a red exclamation mark in a triangle, accompanied by text stating that the app "does not support the App Store's private and secure payment system" and "uses external purchases."
As noted by Michael Tsai, Apple is using its highest-level "critical" alert iconography – the same triangle symbol that macOS reserves for situations that might result in "unexpected loss of data."
Instacar, a popular Hungarian car valuation app with thousands of positive reviews, appears to be among the first to receive this treatment.
Apple's use of the warning labels comes just weeks after the European Commission fined Apple €500 million for violating the Digital Markets Act by restricting developers from informing users about alternative payment options. The Commission ordered Apple to "remove the technical and commercial restrictions on steering."
The warning labels also follow a
contempt order issued by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on April 30, barring Apple from enforcing App Store rules that prevented developers from directing users to external payment methods.
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