People who own iPhones are upset. They’re seeing ads on their phones, and they don’t like it. This happened when Apple sent a notification to the Wallet app. The ad was for a new movie about Formula 1. It offered a $10 discount on two movie tickets bought through Fandango using Apple Pay.
This movie is a big deal for Apple. It cost over $200 million to make and stars Brad Pitt. Apple used special cameras, including parts from the iPhone 15 Pro, to film inside cars. They even created a fake racing team that participated in real Formula 1 weekends. There’s a special “tactile trailer” and the movie was shown at WWDC. The marketing is everywhere.
Users are complaining because they think a $1,000 phone should not have ads in its main apps. They don’t care about the discount; they just don’t want ads in the Wallet app. This app is for financial transactions and passes, not for movie coupons.
Some people pointed out that this kind of notification seems to go against Apple’s rules for developers. These rules say that push notifications should not be used for direct marketing unless users have explicitly opted in. Currently, there’s no easy way to turn off this feature. However, a new option to disable promotions was spotted in a beta version of the Wallet app for iOS 26. This suggests that Apple might be planning to send more marketing messages in the future.
What’s Next for iPhone Ads?
The fact that Apple is sending ads to iPhone users is a significant shift. It’s not clear how users will react in the long term, but for now, many are expressing their discontent. As Apple continues to invest in content creation, it’s likely that we’ll see more ads on iPhones. The question is, will users get used to it, or will it become a major point of contention?
User Reactions
People are taking to social media to express their frustration. One user tweeted, “Not just Wallet app…” with a screenshot of the ad. Others are pointing out that this move seems to contradict Apple’s stance on user experience and advertising.
Apple’s decision to send ads to iPhone users has sparked a debate about the future of mobile advertising. As the company continues to evolve its strategy, one thing is clear: users will be watching closely to see what happens next.