Apple customers aren’t thrilled they’re getting an ad from the Apple Wallet app promoting the tech giant’s Original Film, “F1 the Movie.” Across social media, iPhone owners are complaining that their Wallet app sent out a push notification offering a $10 discount at Fandango for anyone buying two or more tickets to the film.
The feature film, starring Brad Pitt, explores the world of Formula 1 and was shot at actual Grand Prix races. It also showcases the use of Apple technology, from the custom-made cameras made of iPhone parts used to film inside the cars, to the AirPods Max that Pitt’s character, F1 driver Sonny Hayes, sleeps in.
However well-received the film may be, iPhone users don’t necessarily want their built-in utilities, like their digital wallet, marketing to them.
“I did not pay over $1000 for an iPhone to get advertised at,” complains one Reddit user (u/captain42d). Another recent post, already with dozens of replies, wants to know how to turn off Apple Pay ads.
As it turns out, there’s a new option in iOS 26’s beta build to disable “Offers & Promotions” from Apple Wallet that isn’t available in the current release. Instead, users not on the new beta build only have the option to disable notifications or to turn off seeing card benefits within Wallet during checkout. They can’t opt out of offers.
The addition of the new control toggle in iOS 26 suggests that Apple plans to push more marketing messages and promotions through the Wallet app in the future — something many iPhone users won’t appreciate.
Apple customers are generally averse to advertisements and marketing efforts pushed to their devices without their consent. In the past, they’ve pushed back at ads for Apple’s services in their iOS Settings, for example. And over 10 years later, people are still complaining about the U2 album that automatically appeared in their iTunes music library.
Recalling that marketing debacle, one Reddit user writes of the new Wallet push notification for the F1 film, “I am getting Bono flashbacks.”
Apple has been heavily promoting the F1 film along with its distribution partner, Warner Bros., which has included the launch of a haptic trailer with vibration feedback. The company even kicked off its recent WWDC 2025 keynote this month with a preview of the film’s action, with participation from Apple CEO Tim Cook and SVP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, as a race car driver.
We reached out to Apple for comment and did not immediately hear back.
