Apple is gearing up for the theatrical release of F1 and is doing everything it can to promote the film. However, its marketing strategy has left some iPhone users annoyed.
Some Apple Wallet users have received push notifications for F1 tickets and have also spotted an ad inside the Wallet app. Both the notification and the ad are promoting a limited-time offer valid for two or more tickets.
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While many shopping and food delivery apps send marketing notifications with user permission, seeing these ads from an Apple app that stores credit cards, IDs, and movie tickets is odd.
“Who approved this? ads from my wallet app? Oh hell no,” writes one X user. “I really need some understanding on why Apple would think it appropriate to push an a Fandango ad through the wallet app? On what level would they think that’s a good idea? This is a complete violation of privacy,” reads a post on Reddit.
(Credit: PCMag/Apple)
Some people pointed to Apple’s push notification guidelines for developers, which says: “Push Notifications should not be used for promotions or direct marketing purposes unless customers have explicitly opted in to receive them via consent language displayed in your app’s UI, and you provide a method in your app for a user to opt out from receiving such messages.”
Ad permission requests typically appear immediately after launching the app for the first time. The good news, however, is that everyone can disable it. Open the Wallet app, tap the three-dot menu at the top right > Settings > Turn off Offers & Promotions. You can also access this page by navigating to Settings > Apple Wallet & Pay.
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Apple has been extensively promoting its big-budget F1 movie; its WWDC keynote opened with software chief Craig Federighi driving an F1 car. It was followed by a haptic trailer in the Apple TV app on iOS. The film itself has opened to some positive reviews from critics. It will be released in theaters on June 27.
Apple has made similar moves in the past, most notably by forcing a U2 album on iTunes users in 2014. We’ve also seen ads for Apple Radio shows pop up in Apple Music and notifications for Apple TV+ shows.
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About Jibin Joseph
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