Ads in Apple Wallet: What You Need to Know
Advertisements aren’t a favorite for many, yet they do have their appropriate contexts. Upon clicking into an article, encountering ads often comes as no surprise—unless, of course, you’ve activated an ad blocker. However, when notifications from your apps transform into unwelcome advertisements, it certainly crosses a line.
Recently, Apple Wallet users found themselves in this very situation. The app responsible for facilitating mobile payments unexpectedly sent out a promotional message for Apple’s upcoming racing film, F1: The Movie. A screenshot shared by a Reddit user displayed the ad, which read: “$10 off at Fandango: Save on 2+ tickets to F1: The Movie with APPLEPAYTEN. Offer ends on 6/29 and is subject to availability. Terms apply.”
While the promotion may seem enticing, users have expressed their dissatisfaction. Setting aside the fact that critics are favoring F1, unsolicited advertisements—especially those pushed through notification systems—are widely disliked. Wallet isn’t the only app veering off course in this manner (looking at you, Snapchat), which is why adjusting notifications for non-essential apps is a common practice for many users.
What amplifies this concern is the fact that this issue stems from one of Apple’s native applications promoting one of its own productions. It feels inappropriate for Apple to use its app notifications to market a movie produced in-house, merely because users own an Apple-branded smartphone. As one user stated, “I did not spend over [$1,000] on an iPhone just to receive advertisements.”
This scenario may not be an isolated incident; Apple has progressively integrated advertisements into its own applications and services since 2022. One might have noticed this trend while surfing through the App Store or the Apple News app. While notifications from Apple typically remain sparse, it’s possible that Apple will prioritize advertising across its platforms, regardless of customer sentiment.
Fortunately, there is a possible solution you can explore—eventually, at least.
Disabling Ads in Apple Wallet
There is a method to stop these intrusive ads without completely silencing notifications from Wallet—you simply need the proper version of iOS.
Apple has introduced a new notification feature within Wallet in the upcoming iOS 26, which is currently available for beta testing. While installing the beta solely to disable Wallet ads may not be the best idea, here’s how it works: Open the Wallet application, tap on the three dots located in the upper right corner, and select Notifications. There, toggle off the setting for Offers & Promotions. This should prevent such ads from appearing in the future, at least within Wallet.
In the grand scheme, Apple may still come out ahead in this narrative. Not only does this situation draw attention to their forthcoming film, but it also showcases a new feature that enhances user experience in iOS 26. While user backlash is palpable, it undeniably leads to discussions surrounding two distinct Apple products today. Touché, Apple.
