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."

App Store
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.

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 2

Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about. Measure App Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles. Games App There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent. CarPlay The...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
apple intelligence erroneous support list

Apple Intelligence Apparently Too Smart for M1 Macs After Listing Error

Wednesday November 12, 2025 2:49 am PST by
Update: It took a day, but Apple has now corrected its Apple Intelligence device compatibility list to show support for the earliest Apple silicon Macs. The original article follows. Apple's website is causing some confusion among Mac owners, and for good reason – its device compatibility listing for Apple Intelligence appears to have dropped support for M1 Macs. The U.S. version...

Top Rated Comments

PolarBear37 Avatar
26 weeks ago
Warning: This product is harmful to Apple's profits. Use at Tim's risk.
Score: 75 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mjschabow Avatar
26 weeks ago
Such a bitter, immature thing to do.
Score: 62 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pitogyro Avatar
26 weeks ago
What a ridiculous, vicious company they have become.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macdaddy43 Avatar
26 weeks ago
On top of that, if an app like Spotify was such a security risk from a payment perspective, why wouldn’t Apple have already blocked the app from being allowed in the App Store?

People have already been making external payments on these apps for years, now Apple all of a sudden puts a big warning on the app acting like it’s going to steal your identity? If it was such a risk, Apple should have removed apps like Spotify years ago from the App Store.

The only difference now is that they are allowed to use links in the app. Before they couldn’t. Now all of a sudden it’s not secure because they have a link in the app, taking to the same place you managed the service for years.

This is cringe coming from a multi-TRILLION dollar company. Doing everything they can to make sure they Hoover up every penny they can.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cicalinarrot Avatar
26 weeks ago

Good. Consumers deserve to know whether or not the app they're downloading is going to be insecure and/or frustrating to use. Epic deserves this.

Anyone who is against this is clearly not being objective. This is pro-consumer.
This is laughable.
Apple has been trying to stop competition forever by making its phones non-repairable or non-upgradable with all the tricks in the book. Then, when forced by the law, they still try to scare consumers out of it.
A simple disclaimer would have been ok. We've been using non "apple verified" (or whatever) apps on Macs and it's been a great experience.
Apple just wants that sweet sweet money.
Definitive proof? They allowed third party stores (again, when forced) but still tried to put some clause that forced the biggest developers to give them money. Absolutely illegal, 100% for money, 0% for consumer safety.
Don't get fooled by these people.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Small White Car Avatar
26 weeks ago

Good. Consumers deserve to know whether or not the app they're downloading is going to be insecure and/or frustrating to use. Epic deserves this.

Anyone who is against this is clearly not being objective. This is pro-consumer.
Should Apple pop this message up when you buy a stapler from the Amazon app?

And should it pop up when you buy it from Amazon in Safari on the Mac too?

Are these things missing from your iOS experience?
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)