Promotional efforts behind the upcoming F1 the Movie, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, are not sitting well with Apple users.
According to TechCrunch, iPhone users are unhappy about receiving push notifications offering a $10 discount on ticket prices at Fandango if they purchase two or more for the film, which opens Friday, June 27.
The promo, which was sent out by Apple鈥檚 Wallet application, read, 鈥淪ave on 2+ tickets to F1 the Movie with APPLEPAYTEN. Ends 6/29. While supplies last. Terms apply.鈥
Across social media, iPhone users expressed their displeasure about receiving ads sent by native apps. One user noted that Apple taking advantage of access to its native apps was an 鈥渁busing鈥 entitlement, terming the technology company鈥檚 efforts as 鈥済ross.鈥
Apple abusing its Apple Pay notifications to promote its F1 movie is gross 馃ぎ https://t.co/aOEeOESsuP pic.twitter.com/golEasblKt 鈥 Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 24, 2025
The heavy promotion of F1 the Movie, which leverages Apple鈥檚 ecosystem, is informed by the knowledge that its movie unit, Apple Original Films, co-produced the movie and is seeking to generate as much interest in it as possible.
Apple even created a custom camera using iPhone parts to film parts of the movie.
iPhone users, as part of the promotion, also had the opportunity to watch a haptic version of the trailer with vibration effects. This trailer was only available via the Apple TV app.
The upcoming release of Apple鈥檚 latest software update, iOS 26, later this summer will provide a remedy for disgruntled users, as it will include the option to turn off this type of promotional notification.
The last time Apple leveraged its ecosystem for promotional efforts was in 2014, when it added U2鈥檚 latest album at the time, Songs of Innocence, to users鈥 iTunes libraries.
The outrage that ensued was so intense that Apple had to publish a website showing how to delete the album. It also prompted an apology from U2鈥檚 Bono, who continues to apologize for the debacle, saying in a memoir published in 2022, 鈥淚 take full responsibility. Not Guy O, not Edge, not Adam, not Larry, not Tim Cook, not Eddy Cue.鈥
He continued, 鈥淚鈥檇 thought if we could just put our music within reach of people, they might choose to reach out toward it. Not quite.鈥