Apple has added persistent 'ads' to iOS, and it's driving users crazy
- ID
- 27382
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 22 Sep 2026, 10:30 PM
- Fetched
- 24 Sep 2026, 4:22 AM
- Provider
- Hacker News
- Category
- dev-community
- Original URL
- https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/i-wish-apple-would-just-stop-that-crap-apple-has-added-persistent-ads-to-ios-and-its-driving-users-crazy
- Source URL
- https://hnrss.org/best
Summary
- Score
- 3.0
- Created
- 24 Sep 2026, 5:29 AM
- Tags
- Audience
- developerssaas_founders
What happened
Apple has begun inserting non-dismissable promotional banners in the iOS Settings app for its own services like iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV trials, and AppleCare+. Users report the ads persist for weeks or months, sometimes leaving a notification badge on Settings, with no working dismiss button.
Why it matters
If you ship iOS apps or build products in the Apple ecosystem, expect users to be more sensitive to in-app promotional noise and friction; this also signals Apple normalizing persistent upsell surfaces in system-level UI, which could eventually extend to third-party ad placements or API hooks developers must design around.
Discussion angle
Whether Apple opening this persistent-promo surface in Settings is a precursor to broader ad inventory that affects how iOS developers plan onboarding and upsell flows.