Apple Stores ordered to stop signing up unwitting customers to services

Apple Stores have been pressured into signing up customers for services like Apple TV without their consent, but the practice has reportedly been halted after it was discovered. This issue highlights Apple's history of criticizing other companies for similar tactics. The method was exposed by Louis Rossmann, a critic of Apple's repair policies who documented the process in a series of YouTube videos.

Apple staff can sign customers up for subscriptions without explicit consent, thanks to a screen displaying "Accept" or "Decline" on their end. The staff were encouraged to frame these subscriptions as gifts, unaware that customers would subsequently have to pay between $20 and $30 monthly. After Rossmann's initial video, Apple has allegedly banned the practice, instructing regional managers to read the directive verbatim in all stores.

The source of this information did not disclose the exact wording of the instruction, but it is believed to require customers to press the "Accept" button. Moreover, Apple has reportedly changed the performance metrics staff work with, no longer tracking how many customers they've signed up for services. These metrics, introduced by Angela Ahrendts in 2013 when she took over retail operations, have been suspended during the 2026 holiday shopping season.

While the discontinuation of these metrics is a positive development, it remains unclear if this practice will persist in the future.