Apple says that the warning message displayed next to the EU App Store list that uses third-party payment systems is not actually new.
According to many recent reports, Apple added a warning with a red exclamation point next to an app that proved to not use its own “private and secure payment system.” This message appeared to be intended to discourage users from using external payment mechanisms, as is currently permitted under the new EU law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
However, the iPhone makers confirmed with TechCrunch that these user discussion screens have been live on the EU App Store since the launch of Apple's DMA compliance plan in March 2024.
Given that Apple suffered a huge loss in court to Fortnite Maker Epic Games, it is understandable that there are concerns on the warning screen. With a court decision, Apple has allowed Apple app developers to link to external payment options without paying Apple's fees. The company is suing the decision, and it is likely that many people suspect that the added EU warning is part of Apple's kind of retaliation plan. Perhaps the company wanted to send a message to the developer that they would not give up the committee without a fight?
However, the screen is not new, so there is another explanation in place.
The confusion appears to come from a single post that gained traction on Social Network X on Monday. This post will show you an app store list for EU-based apps called Instacar.[T]His apps do not support the private, secure payment system on the App Store. I'm using external purchases. ”
Also, the warning message refers to a link that the user can click to “learn more details.”
“This is the first time I've seen this,” X user Viktor Maric wrote, noting on the warning screen. “Apple punishes apps with external payment systems [sic]. ”
The Maric post was liked by thousands of X users and was reposted by hundreds, including people from the mobile developer community. Naturally, most people don't care about the message and call it Apple's “malicious compliance” and “qualified” behavior.
Opinions aside, the user's disclosure screen itself is not new.
Apple responded directly to Maric and pointed to an X post from RevenueCat CEO Jacob Eiting, which correctly suggests that disclosures are only in the EU and “present for a while.”
This is only in the EU and may have been around for a while, but I didn't think it was bothering me with the implementation of DMA for external purchases.
Less than 100 developers use this option for obvious reasons. pic.twitter.com/mydznbirky
– Jacob Eating – IAP/ACC (@jeiting) May 12, 2025
We theorized that people are now aware of these warnings, as few people care about EU developers taking advantage of the external purchasing options that the DMA allows. (Apple critics have called it a “junk fee” aimed at disrupting the company's DMA compliance plans and filling up the lost committee of in-app purchases.)
In its response to TechCrunch, Apple also noted that it intended to update the message after the initial pushback. In August 2024, the company announced a series of changes to its DMA plan, including changes to its user disclosure screen. Instead of warning users of the risk of using external purchases, the new message is “Transactions for this app are supported by developers, not Apple” (see below).
Image credit: Apple
The tech giant has insisted that the European Commission (EC) had not challenged the updated message, but has directed Apple to refrain from making any changes. Without further guidance, Apple continued to place existing screens.
In April 2025, the EC fined Apple 500 million euros for violations under the Digital Markets Act. Apple is now urging the decision.