Apple has a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster coming to theaters this weekend—F1 The Movie—and your iPhone’s Wallet app might have just told you about it. Here’s why this is causing backlash.
Apple Wallet offer for F1 The Movie prompts advertising complaints
Apple makes products people love, like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. And the company also now makes film and TV, most of which lives on Apple TV+.
But this weekend, Apple is launching its biggest theatrical swing ever: F1 The Movie.
Unsurprisingly, Apple’s marketing team has been pulling out all the stops to promote F1 in hopes of a successful opening weekend.
But one recent move took things a step too far for some.
Apple’s Wallet app sent push notifications to iPhone users promoting an Apple Pay offer for F1.
The deal lets you save $10 on purchases or two or more F1 tickets. It’s available through Fandango when using the code APPLEPAYTEN.
Many users aren’t thrilled to get advertised to through their Wallet app, however.
TechCrunch documented several examples of user complaints, and there are plenty more to be found on social media.
One of my personal favorites is the meme version of the complaint featuring a physical wallet.
Top comment by Blurft
App Review Guidelines 4.5.4 - 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.
Apple is violating their own rules here. This will just be more fuel for regulators and developers arguing that Apple is abusing their power over the platform.
Between pulling the "Crush" ad, pulling the "Out of Office" ad, pulling the "Apple Intelligence Personal Context" ad, pulling the "Parent Presentation" ad, the delays in Apple Intelligence, lackluster adoption of Vision Pro, the significant legibility problems with "Liquid Glass," the legal slapdown and referral for potential criminal prosecution that Apple received from Judge Gonzalez Rogers...what is going on in Cupertino? I don't think that they're "doomed," but something is clearly wrong with the corporate culture.
Interestingly, the iOS 26 beta includes a new toggle in Wallet for disabling notifications just like this.
Inside Wallet, there’s a new ‘Offers & Promotions’ notification type that can be turned off. But that option isn’t included in iOS 18, so it’s only available for the limited number of iOS 26 beta testers.
Did you get the F1 notification from Apple Wallet? Let us know in the comments.
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