Are Apple Pay Ads Ruining Your iPhone Experience? Here’s How to Stop Them

Why Do $1000+ iPhones Show Ads in Apple Pay? (Plus the Simple Fix)

I get it. You paid over $1000 for your iPhone. The last thing you want is ads popping up when you’re trying to pay for something. Yet here we are, dealing with Apple pushing movie ticket ads right in our payment app.

Let me walk you through what’s happening and how you can fix it.

What’s the Deal with These Apple Pay Ads?

Apple started showing ads in their Wallet app. I’m talking about promotions for things like Fandango movie tickets. They even promoted their own F1 movie this way.

This feels wrong to me. When I’m making a payment, I want a clean, simple experience. I don’t want to see ads cluttering up my transaction screen.

Here’s what makes this frustrating:

• You already paid premium prices for your device
• Apple Pay handles sensitive financial information
• Ads in payment apps feel intrusive and unprofessional
• Other budget phone makers do this, but Apple?

Can You Actually Turn Off These Annoying Ads?

Good news: Yes, you can turn them off. Bad news: It depends on your iOS version.

Apple finally listened to user complaints. Starting with iOS 18, they added a way to disable these promotional messages. But there’s a catch – not everyone can use this feature yet.

Method 1: Turn Off Ads in iOS 18 (Current Solution)

If you’re running iOS 18, here’s how I recommend you handle this:

1. Open your Wallet app (this is the same as Apple Pay)
2. Look for the three dots in the top right corner
3. Tap on “Notifications” from the menu
4. Find “Offers and Promotions” in the list
5. Switch off the toggle next to it

That’s it. No more ads cluttering your payment experience.

Method 2: What If You’re Not on iOS 18 Yet?

If you’re still on an older iOS version, you have two choices:

Option A: Wait for the Official Update

Apple releases major iOS updates in September. This is the safer route, you’ll get a stable, tested version

Option B: Try the Beta Version

You can sign up for Apple’s beta program. You’ll get the feature right away, but expect bugs and crashes

I personally recommend waiting unless these ads really bother you. Beta software can be unstable.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

This isn’t just about ads. It’s about what we expect from premium products.

When you buy an expensive iPhone, you’re paying for:

• Quality hardware
• Smooth software experience
• Privacy and security
• Ad-free core functionality

Apple adding ads to Apple Pay breaks that trust. It makes their premium phones feel more like budget devices that need ad revenue to stay profitable.

My Take on Apple’s Ad Strategy

I think Apple made a mistake here. They’re risking their reputation for what’s probably minimal ad revenue.

Consider this:

• Apple makes billions from iPhone sales
• Their services revenue is already huge
• Customer satisfaction should come first
• Premium brands shouldn’t need intrusive ads

What You Should Do Right Now

Here’s my advice:

If you have iOS 18

Turn off those ads immediately using the steps above to enjoy your clean payment experience.

If you’re on older iOS

• Update to iOS 18 when it’s officially released
• Avoid the beta unless you really need this feature now
• Consider giving Apple feedback about this issue

For everyone

• Let Apple know how you feel about ads in Apple Pay
• Use their feedback channels
• Consider this when making future purchase decisions

Apple Pay ads are annoying, but they’re not permanent. You can turn them off once you have the right iOS version. This whole situation shows how even premium brands can make questionable decisions. But at least Apple gave us a way to opt out. I hope this helps you get back to a cleaner, ad-free payment experience. Your iPhone should work for you, not constantly try to sell you things.