Apple's EU App Store Payment Warnings: Viral Outrage Misses Key Context
Apple says the warning messages now appearing next to EU App Store listings that use third-party payment systems are not actually new.
According to a number of recent reports, Apple added a warning with a red exclamation mark next to apps that it found were not using its own “private and secure payment system.” The message was seemingly meant to discourage users from using external payment mechanisms, as is now permitted under the new EU law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
However, the iPhone maker confirmed to TechCrunch that these user-disclosure screens have been live on the EU App Store since the beginning of Apple’s DMA Compliance Plan back in March 2024. They were not newly added, as some had reported.
It’s understandable that there was concern over the warning screens, given that Apple just suffered a major loss in court to Fortnite maker Epic Games. The court’s decision forced Apple to allow app developers in the U.S. to link to external payment options without having to pay Apple’s commission. The company is appealing that decision, and many likely suspected the added EU warnings were part of some sort of retaliatory plan on Apple’s part. Perhaps the company wanted to send a message to developers that it would not give up commissions without a fight?
But since the screens are not new, another explanation is in order.
The confusion appears to stem from a single post that gained traction on the social network X on Monday. The post shows an App Store listing for an EU-based app called Instacar that features a message warning users, “[T]his app does not support the App Store’s private and secure payment system. It uses external purchases.”
The cautionary message also points to a link that users can click to “Learn More.”
“First time seeing this,” wrote X user Viktor Maric, remarking on the warning screen. “Apple will punish the apps with external payment system [sic].”
Maric’s post was liked by thousands of X users and reposted by hundreds, including those in the mobile developer community. Unsurprisingly, most didn’t care for the message, calling it “malicious compliance” and “entitled” behavior on Apple’s part.
Opinions aside, the user disclosure screen itself is not new.
Apple pointed us to an X post from RevenueCat CEO Jacob Eiting, who, responding directly to Maric, correctly suggested that the disclosures are EU-only and “have been around for a while.”
Eiting theorized that people are just now noticing these warnings because few EU developers have bothered to take advantage of the external purchases option that the DMA permits. (Apple critics have called out the company’s DMA Compliance Plan as being confusing and filled with “junk fees” meant to make up for the lost commissions on in-app purchases.)
In its response to TechCrunch, Apple also noted that it intended to update the message after initial pushback. In August 2024, the company announced a series of changes to its DMA plan that would have included a change to the user disclosure screen. Instead of warning users of the dangers of using external purchases, the new message would have read: “Transactions in this app are supported by the developer and not Apple.” (See below).
The tech giant claims that the European Commission (EC) raised no objection to the updated message but instructed Apple to hold off on making any changes. Without further guidance, Apple kept the existing screen in place.
In April 2025, the EC fined Apple €500 million for noncompliance under the Digital Markets Act. Apple is now appealing the decision.
