Apple’s sneaky iOS alerts spark panic for Spain’s app users

Picture yourself in a bustling Costa del Sol café, scrolling through your iPhone’s App Store, hunting for a nifty app to check car history or book a holiday. Suddenly, a red exclamation mark screams “warning” on an app like Instacar. Your heart skips—has your phone sniffed out a scam? Not quite.

A Verge article revealed that Apple is playing a crafty game across Spain and the EU, slapping scary alerts on apps that dodge its payment system. That isn’t about safety—it’s a power move, and Spanish users need to know the score. Since March 2024, the EU’s Digital Markets Act has forced Apple to let apps use third-party payment systems, freeing developers from Apple’s hefty 30 per cent cut.

Big names like Spotify and Patreon now link to their websites for cheaper deals, saving you cash. But Apple is not happy. It’s plastering warnings on apps like Hungary’s Instacar, claiming they lack its “private and secure payment system.” Apple makes it sound dodgy, except that Instacar is a top-rated app with thousands of glowing reviews. The only sin is skipping Apple’s checkout.

Causing a stir in Spain

In Spain, where 80 per cent of smartphone users are on iOS, these alerts are causing a stir. Shoppers in Madrid and Málaga are hesitating, thinking legit apps are risky.

Fewer than 100 EU apps use external payments, thanks to Apple’s strict rules, but those that do—like travel or finance apps—face this scare tactic, according to an X post by Revenue Cat CEO Jacob Eiting.

“I think this is EU only and might have been around for a while, I just assumed nobody bothered with the DMA implementation for external purchases since they were pointless,” Eiting said.

“When you create an account on a developer’s external website, you may have to provide personal information, including payment information, directly to the developer or third-party partners,” Apple’s fearmongering statement says in a support page linked from its warning message.

“You will be trusting the developer, as well as any partners and payment providers they work with, to handle your information based on their privacy and security controls,” it adds.

No need to fear, not all apps are unsafe

The European Commission fined Apple 500 million euros last month for anti-competitive tricks, yet these warnings persist, smelling like a sly dodge around the rules.

Spanish users, don’t fall for it. These apps aren’t inherently unsafe—Stripe and PayPal, used by many, are rock-solid.

Check reviews, stick to trusted developers, and save a few euros with external payments.

Apple is just flexing to keep its App Store crown. Stay sharp, and don’t let a red icon spook you from a cracking deal.