Apple shows discouraging warnings for EU users of third-party in-app payment options

Some users have reported seeing warning messages within some iOS apps in the European Union that use payment systems outside the Apple App Store to avoid platform commission fees. According to these messages, external payment options do not participate in Apple's private and secure payment infrastructure. Users are informed that choosing third-party payment options will disable several features, such as purchase history visibility, family sharing, and centralized subscription management within their Apple account.

In addition, the warnings explain that users must provide payment and personal information directly to application developers or their selected third-party providers. As a result, users rely on the privacy and security practices of these companies rather than Apple's standards.

It's worth noting, as TechCrunch rightfully points out, that these warning messages aren’t exactly new as they’ve been showing up since March 2024 following EU regulatory changes that now allow competing payment solutions in apps. Ironically, while Apple has been discouraging use of these alternatives in Europe for some time, similar warnings were recently blocked in the United States for being potentially misleading. That U.S. legal decision paved the way for mainstream applications, including Spotify and Delta emulator, to adopt alternative purchasing flows more easily.