Apple’s iOS alerts are causing panic amongst Spanish 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. Instacar suddenly has a red exclamation sign warning users. Your heart skips—has your phone sniffed out a scam? Not quite.

Verge’s article revealed Apple was playing a clever trick in Spain and across the EU. It was putting scary alerts onto apps that avoided 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 forced Apple to let third-party payment methods be used in apps, freeing developers of Apple’s 30 per cent cut.

You can now save money by visiting the websites of big names such as Spotify and Patreon. Apple is not happy. Apple has put warnings all over apps like Hungary’s Instacar claiming that they don’t have its “private and secured payment system.” Sounds dodgy, right? Instacar, however, is a highly-rated app that has received thousands of positive reviews. What’s the only sin? Apple’s checkout.

Causing a stir is Spain

These alerts have caused a stir in Spain where 80 percent are iOS users. 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 tacticAccording to to an X post by Revenue Cat CEO Jacob Eiting.

Eiting explained: “I thought this was only for the EU and that it might have existed for some time.

Apple’s website states: “When creating an account on the external website of a developer, you may be required to provide your personal information including payment details directly to that developer or to third-party partners.” fearmongering statement Says in a page of support linked to its warning message.

You will trust the developer as well as their partners and payment providers to manage your data based on privacy and security controls,” adds the document.

Not all apps are dangerous

Apple was fined 500 million Euros by the European Commission last month for anticompetitive practices. Yet these warnings continue, and smell like a clever way to skirt around the rules.

Don’t be fooled, Spanish users. These apps aren’t inherently unsafe—Stripe and PayPal, used by many, are rock-solid.

Review reviews, choose trusted developers and save some euros by paying externally.

Apple’s only flexing its muscles to keep the App Store crown. Keep your eyes open and don’t get distracted by the red icon.