It’s been almost two weeks since a US court ruled against Apple in its legal battle with Epic Games, forcing the Cupertino giant to change its App Store guidelines to allow third-party payment links without charging a commission. However, some users have recently reported seeing a warning sign for apps that do not use the company’s internal payment system on the Apple App Store.
Several users in the EU region have noticed a warning sign with a red exclamation mark on certain apps within the Apple App Store. The warning reads, “This app does not support App Store’s private and secure payment system. It uses external purchases.” This message effectively discourages users from using such apps, despite them being permitted under the new EU law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
However, as per TechCrunch, Apple has confirmed to the publication that this is not a new occurrence. These warnings have been present on the EU App Store since the company’s DMA Compliance Plan, which was introduced in March 2024. This clarifies that it is not a rebellious move by the iPhone maker but rather something that has been in place prior to the recent rulings.
The post that sparked the outrage shared a screenshot of the Instacar app, available in the EU version of the App Store, showing the same warning message prominently at the top of the page.
This puts to rest any doubts that the warning is related to the recent rulings. Still, it’s understandable why it’s drawing attention now, given Apple’s past practices and their statements about appealing the recent court decision.
