Apple has added persistent 'ads' to iOS, and it's driving users crazy
summary
Apple is integrating persistent promotional banners for its own services, such as iCloud+ and Apple Music, directly into the iOS Settings app. This move contradicts the company's premium brand image and prioritizes service revenue growth over user experience. Many users find these ads intrusive because they often lack a way to be dismissed, leaving permanent notification badges on the app. This shift suggests that Apple is increasingly relying on its services ecosystem to drive profit as smartphone hardware growth slows.
key points
- Promotional banners appear in the Settings app and often cannot be dismissed, forcing users to either pay for the service or wait for the offer to expire.
- The strategy reflects a broader business shift toward services revenue to offset stagnating growth in the global smartphone market.
- Some users report seeing ads for services they already pay for, suggesting either a technical bug or a poorly implemented targeting system.
who should read it
iPhone users and tech enthusiasts who are concerned about the user experience and the monetization strategies of major tech companies.
discussion skeptical
consensus
Commenters generally agree that Apple has drifted from its original ethos of avoiding ads, with the App Store now feeling cluttered and 'cheap'. There is a shared sentiment that current leadership prioritizes revenue streams over the taste and user experience championed by Steve Jobs. While some debate the effectiveness of past ad attempts like iAds, the current trend toward monetization is viewed as a decline in product quality.
top insight
One user provides a detailed historical correction regarding iAds, noting that Apple's failure wasn't due to a lack of desire for ads, but because they tried to exert too much creative control and imposed high entry costs. This reveals that Apple has always been tempted by ad revenue but struggled to balance its 'premium' image with the realities of the ad market, eventually conceding to the more data-driven, 'spyware' models used by Google and Meta.
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