Why some Apple users are seeing 'warning message' on App Store

Apple is displaying prominent warning messages on App Store listings of apps that don't utilise the tech giant's own payment system. This message is being shown to users in the European Union (EU). These warnings, featuring a red exclamation mark icon, appear alongside messages cautioning users about the potential risks of using third-party payment alternatives.The Verge (via Daring Fireball) highlighted the update, noting a warning on the App Store listing for Instacar, a popular Hungarian app for used car valuation. The message alerts users that Instacar does not use Apple’s “private and secure payment system.”Instacar is said to be a highly-rated and widely used app in Hungary, and it appears to be flagged solely due to its use of an external payment system, the report noted. Apple's warning suggests that by using such apps, users might be exposing themselves to risks as App Store features like purchase history, Family Sharing, and unified subscription management won't apply to these transactions.Apple's linked support page elaborates on these concerns, stating that users creating accounts on external websites may have to directly provide personal and payment information to the developer and their partners. The company emphasizes that users would then be trusting these third parties to handle their data according to their own security and privacy measures.“When you create an account on a developer’s external website, you may have to provide personal information, including payment information, directly to the developer or third-party partners. You will be trusting the developer, as well as any partners and payment providers they work with, to handle your information based on their privacy and security controls,” Apple support page says.This move by Apple comes at a time when the company is already facing pressure from EU regulators regarding its practices around alternative app marketplaces. In April, the European Commission issued preliminary findings that Apple was making the installation of these marketplaces "overly burdensome and confusing" through the use of multiple warning screens.