iOS 26 finally gives frustrated iPhone users a practical way to silence Apple Wallet’s controversial promotional alerts, without sacrificing important payment or travel notifications. The update adds a dedicated control for marketing messages, reflecting Apple’s response to months of backlash over intrusive ads that appeared to ignore its own privacy‑focused image
Apple Wallet was originally pitched as a secure hub for cards, passes, digital IDs and even car keys, helping users replace physical wallets with a single trusted app. That trust took a hit earlier this year when Apple pushed a promotional notification for its F1 movie, turning a core financial app into a surprising advertising channel.
The F1 promo did more than irritate a few users; it triggered a wider debate about how far Apple should go with in‑system marketing. Critics argued that turning Wallet into an ad surface blurred the line between essential financial alerts and commercial messages, especially when customers had paid premium prices for iPhones promising a clean, controlled experience.
With iOS 26, Apple has quietly introduced a new “Offers & Promotions” toggle inside Wallet’s notification settings, giving users direct control over these ads for the first time. Once disabled, Wallet stops sending marketing pushes while still delivering time‑critical alerts such as transaction confirmations, boarding updates and order status changes
Turning off the promos is straightforward but not automatic. Users must open the Wallet app, tap the three‑dot menu in the top‑right corner, choose Notifications, then scroll down and switch off “Offers & Promotions,” since the option is enabled by default on iOS 26 devices. Until that change is made, advertising messages can keep appearing alongside genuine financial alerts.
The same menu also centralizes control over other Wallet alerts, letting users mute notifications for orders, pre‑authorized payments, new features and updates if they feel overwhelmed. Transaction notifications can be fine‑tuned too, with options to pause them entirely, limit them to specific cards or restrict alerts related to Apple’s Daily Cash rewards
Taken together, these controls show Apple trying to balance growing advertising ambitions with user expectations of privacy and respect inside system apps. While the default opt‑out approach remains contentious, iOS 26 at least restores some of the Wallet app’s original promise: a focused, low‑distraction space for money, identity and travel, instead of a new billboard on your lock screen.
