Apple says that the warning messages that now appear next to the EU app store lists that use third -party payment systems are not actually new.
According to a series of recent relationships, Apple added a warning with a red exclamation brand next to the apps he found did not use his “private and safe payment system”. Apparently the message was intended to discourage users by the use of external payment mechanisms, as per day permitted by the new EU law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
However, the iPhone manufacturer confirmed to Techcrunch that these users’ disclosure screens have been live on the EU app store since the start of the compliance plan of Apple in March 2024. They were not recently added, as some had reported.
It is understandable that there was concern for warning screens, given that Apple has undergone a serious loss in court for the Fortnite Epic Games manufacturer. The Court’s decision forced Apple to allow app developers to the United States to connect to external payment options without having to pay the Apple commission. The company appeals to this decision, and many probably suspected that the warnings of the EU added were part of a sort of retaining plan by Apple. Perhaps the company wanted to send a message to the developers who would not give up the commissions without fighting?
But since the screens are not new, another explanation is in order.
The confusion seems to derive from a single post that has gained traction on the social network x Monday. The post shows a list of App Store for an EU -called Instacar -based app that presents a use message message, ”
The precautionary message also indicates a link that users can click to “know more”.
“First time he sees this,” wrote X User Viktor Maric, observing the warning screen. “Apple will punish the apps with the external payment system (Sic).”
Maric’s post was appreciated by thousands of X users and republished by hundreds, including those in the mobile developers community. It is not surprising that most did not worry about the message, calling it “mischievous conformity” and behavior “entitled” by Apple.
Opinions aside, the user dissemination screen itself is not new.
Apple showed us a post X of the CEO of Revenuecat Jacob Eiting, which, responding directly to Maric, correctly suggested that the information is only the EU and “have been around for some time”.
Eiting theorized that people are noting these warnings because few EU developers have worried about exploiting the option of external purchases that the DMA allows. (Apple Critics called the Company’s conformity plan as confused and full of “garbage commissions” intended to compensate for the lost commissions on in-app purchases)
In his response to Techcrunch, Apple also noticed that he intended to update the message after the initial rejection. In August 2024, the company announced a series of changes to its DMA plan which would include a change to the user’s dissemination screen. Instead of notifying users of the dangers of the use of external purchases, the new message would have read: “Transactions in this app are supported by the developer and not by Apple”. (See below).
The technology giant states that the European Commission (EC) has not raised any objection to the updated message, but has commissioned Apple to retain the fact of making changes. Without further indications, Apple has maintained the existing screen in progress.
In April 2025, the EC fined Apple € 500 million for non -compliance pursuant to the digital markets act. Apple is now appealing to the decision.
