- iOS users see “ads” for other Apple products on their iPhones
- The banners promote services such as iCloud+, Apple Music and AppleCare+
- The messages often cannot be dismissed and remain for weeks
If you ask iOS users how they felt about Apple’s decision to insert ads into Apple Maps, it would quickly become apparent that it was not a popular move. So when iPhone fans discovered that Apple was introducing requests for its own products into iOS, the reaction was predictably fast and furious.
The “ads” in question appear in the Settings app on iOS. They can be found near the top of the iPhone display and promote various products to the user, including paid iCloud+ storage, free trials for services such as Apple Music and Apple TV, and the AppleCare+ extended warranty.
Infuriatingly for iOS users, the only way to disable these promotions is to either let them expire – which in many cases could take weeks or even months, leaving a persistent notification badge on the Settings app in the meantime – or pay for the service being offered. There isn’t always a “dismiss” button to kick them away forever, and when there is, some people have reported that it doesn’t seem to work.
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Many people have taken to social media to vent their frustrations with Apple’s actions. “I feel like this is almost on par with the ens***ification that Microsoft has introduced with start menu ads,” said one outraged user. “I wish Apple would just stop this shit,” said another. Many other people took to Reddit to express their dismay, suggesting the discontent is widespread.
Some of these ads and offers – such as those for Apple Music – appear after you purchase a new Apple product. With the company having recently launched the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro range, it is perhaps not surprising that we are seeing a sudden influx of posts brimming with irritation and indignation.
Apple’s print services
On the face of it, Apple’s decision to include promotions like this in its operating system could seem like a strange one. After all, Apple has long positioned itself as a premium company where the user experience is important. From that point of view, repeatedly trying to prod customers to even more of the company’s products might seem cheap, even innocent. And if you’ve just shelled out a record fee for an iPhone after Apple’s painful price hikes, that might just feel like nickel and dime.
But in recent years, Apple has placed more and more emphasis on its services, of which products such as iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV and AppleCare+ are all part. With limited room for growth in the smartphone market, the company is turning to areas where it believes it can make more progress.
And unfortunately for users, that means more ads like this on their devices. While they are far from the most unnecessary ads around, the fact that many can’t be dismissed clearly rubs users the wrong way – as does the fact that promotions even exist in an Apple product.
There is also the possibility that at least some of these ads appear due to an error. In particular, iCloud+ has drawn comments from users who are already subscribed to iCloud+ and thus, one would think, do not need to see advertisements like this. Time will tell how this plays out and whether Apple will fix this “bug” or leave the ads in place. If the latter happens, it would suggest that they are not performing incorrectly.
With Apple’s services push showing no signs of slowing down and further ads supposedly planned for the likes of the company’s Visual Intelligence System, don’t expect Apple to have a change of heart anytime soon.
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