Apple Now Allows Ads Inside of Your iPhone and iPad’s Push Notifications

Don’t be surprised to see ads in your iPhone or iPad’s push notifications. An update to Apple’s App Store review guidelines now allows apps to bundle advertisements in a notification.

Those ads will appear alongside text messages and email alerts as long as the user authorizes them first. It’s an opt-in and not an opt-out feature, so you specifically have to approve the ads before they land in your notifications list.

This change is likely the result of a few high-profile faux pas in which Apple sent out ad-like push notifications without user consent.

Apple was accused of maintaining a double standard by breaking its own rules while banning developers who did the same.

Apple also will expand its spam rules to include dating and fortune-telling apps. Apple will carefully review new apps in these categories and will reject an app unless it provides “a unique, high-quality experience.”

Apple also added a rule to ban apps that could be used to aid in a crime or help people evade law enforcement.

Apple also streamlined the app review process by prohibiting developers from using custom review prompts. All apps will be required to use Apple’s official API if they want to capture customer reviews and ratings inside of their apps.