Apple is facing pushback from some iPhone users who were surprised — and annoyed — to receive a promotional notification from the Apple Wallet app advertising the company’s upcoming original film, F1 the Movie. The alert offered a $10 discount via Fandango when purchasing two or more tickets to the film, prompting complaints across social media.
The movie, starring Brad Pitt, dives into the high-speed world of Formula 1 racing and was filmed at real Grand Prix events. It prominently features Apple’s own technology, from custom-made in-car cameras built from iPhone components to scenes showing Pitt’s character, F1 driver Sonny Hayes, sleeping in AirPods Max.
But even if the film ends up being a critical or commercial success, many iPhone owners don’t appreciate what feels like unsolicited marketing coming from essential, built-in apps like Wallet.
“I did not pay over $1000 for an iPhone to get advertised at,”
— Reddit user u/captain42d
Another popular Reddit thread with dozens of replies questions how to disable Apple Pay ads. Unfortunately, for users on the current public version of iOS, there isn’t a clear solution.
In iOS 26’s beta, Apple has quietly introduced a new setting allowing users to opt out of “Offers & Promotions” in Wallet — but that control isn’t yet available in the live software. As of now, non-beta users can only disable Wallet notifications entirely or hide card benefits at checkout, not marketing messages.
The addition of the toggle suggests that Apple may plan to increase the volume of promotional content in Wallet — a direction that’s unlikely to sit well with its privacy-conscious user base.
Apple customers have long resisted any form of forced marketing on their devices. There was backlash over ads for Apple services appearing in iOS Settings, and many still haven’t forgotten the infamous 2014 incident when a U2 album was automatically added to users’ music libraries without consent.
“I am getting Bono flashbacks,”
— wrote one Reddit user in response to the Wallet ad
Apple has been pulling out all the stops to market F1, which it is distributing in partnership with Warner Bros. The campaign includes a unique haptic trailer with vibration feedback and even opened this month’s WWDC 2025 keynote with a preview of the film — featuring cameos from CEO Tim Cook and Software SVP Craig Federighi, the latter donning a race suit.
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