Apple said the warning message that appears next to the list of EU app stores now using third-party payment systems is not actually new.
According to many recent reports, Apple has added a warning next to the app that it found it does not use its own "private and secure payment system." The message appears to be to prevent users from using external payment mechanisms, as permitted by the New EU Law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
However, iPhone maker confirmed to TechCrunch that these user disclosure screens have been used on the EU App Store since Apple's DMA compliance program began in March 2024. As some have reported, they are not newly added.
Understandably, there is concern about the warning screen, given that Apple suffered a significant loss from Fortnite Maker Epic Games in court. The court's decision forced Apple to allow U.S. app developers to link to external payment options without having to pay Apple's commission. The company appealed the decision, and many may suspect another warning from the EU is part of some kind of retaliation plan by Apple. Maybe the company wants to send a message to developers that it won't give up commissions without fighting?
However, since the screen is not new, another explanation is done in order.
This confusion seems to stem from an article that attracted attention on social network X on Monday. The post shows a list of App Stores called Instacar, which contains a message warning the user: "
The alert message also points to a link that the user can click to "Learn More".
"Seeing this for the first time," X user Viktor Maric commented on the warning screen. "Apple will use an external payment system (SIC) to punish the app."
Maric's posts are loved by thousands of X users and are reposted by hundreds of users, including posts in the mobile developer community. Not surprisingly, most people don’t care about the news, calling it “malicious compliance” and “righteous” behavior.
Apart from opinions, it is nothing new for users to disclose the screen itself.
Apple will point us to Revenuecat CEO Jacob Eiting’s X post, who responded directly to Maric, correctly showing that the disclosure is EU-only and “has been around for some time.”
It is thought that people have just noticed these warnings, as few EU developers are reluctant to take advantage of external purchasing options allowed by DMA. (Apple critics call for the company's DMA compliance program to be confusing and full of "junk fees" designed to compensate for lost commissions from in-app purchases.)
In response to TechCrunch, Apple also pointed out that it intends to update the message after the initial backpressure. In August 2024, the company announced a series of changes to its DMA plan, which will include changes to user-disclosed screens. Instead of warning users about the danger of using external purchases, the new message reads: “The transactions in this app are supported by developers, not Apple.” (see below).
The tech giant claims that the European Commission (EC) has no objection to the update, but rather directs Apple to insist on making any changes. Without further guidance, Apple has secured its existing screen in place.
In April 2025, EC fined Apple 500 million euros under the Digital Markets Act. Apple is now making a decision.