Apple is putting warning signs on some European apps that use their payment systems instead of Apple’s. One app, called Instacar, now shows a red exclamation mark on its App Store page with a message saying it doesn’t use Apple’s secure payment method.
Instacar is a popular app in Hungary that helps people check the value and mileage of used cars. It has great reviews and hasn’t broken any App Store rules. But because it uses an outside payment system, Apple is warning people that features like Family Sharing and purchase history won’t work.
The warning also says users might have to share personal and payment information directly with the app or third parties, and that they should trust those companies to keep the information safe.
Many people think Apple is doing this to scare users and stop them from using apps that don’t pay Apple a cut of their earnings. The European Union is already investigating Apple for making it too hard and confusing to install other app stores or use different payment options.
In the U.S., a court recently told Apple it can’t block developers from linking to other payment systems or scare users with warnings — but that rule doesn’t apply in Europe yet.
So for now, Apple can still use these warning messages in the EU — but it may face more legal trouble soon.
