Apple Store staff accused of signing customers up for subscriptions without consent

Breaking News Apple Store employees have been accused of signing customers up for free subscription trials without their informed consent, potentially leaving shoppers facing automatic charges when those offers expire.

The allegations were raised by consumer advocate and repair technician Louis Rossmann in a series of videos and detailed in a report by MacRumors. Some U.S. employees allegedly enrolled customers in trials for Apple One and other services without clearly explaining that they would renew as paid subscriptions.

Apple’s “Connect and Personalize” system allows shoppers to scan a QR code to share certain account information with an employee. Staff can then display eligible subscription offers on their store-issued devices, where each offer includes options to accept or decline. According to the allegations, some employees rushed through this process or pressed the acceptance button without proper consent.

MacRumors says at least some U.S. Apple Stores tracked a sales metric called the “services attach rate,” with a target of 40%. That encouraged employees to add a subscription for at least four out of every 10 customers helped with a device purchase. The target itself does not establish that Apple directed employees to sign people up without permission.

Apple removed the metric early last week, MacRumors independently confirmed. The official explanation given to the publication was that the figure is less relevant during the holiday shopping season, when many customers buy devices as gifts. It remains unclear whether Rossmann’s videos influenced the change.

Apple also distributed an internal memo reminding retail employees to respect customer privacy and obtain consent when presenting subscription trials or using Connect and Personalize. The reminder covered other interactions, including upgrade sign-ups and Genius Bar work authorizations. MacRumors could not determine whether the memo’s timing was connected to the allegations.

Subscription trials can automatically become paid plans through the payment method associated with a customer’s Apple Account. Apple sends a confirmation email when a trial begins, but someone who did not realize they had been enrolled could overlook the notification. The number of people affected by the alleged practices has not been established.

Customers can check for unexpected subscriptions by opening Settings on an iPhone, tapping their name and selecting Subscriptions. Active trials and paid plans can be reviewed and canceled there. Customers seeking a refund for an unexpected payment can visit Apple’s Report a Problem website.

The controversy comes as subscriptions play a growing role in Apple’s Services business. The Apple Post recently reported that Apple’s ecosystem has more than 1.5 billion paid subscriptions, covering its own services and eligible third-party offerings. Apple has not publicly announced disciplinary action or other policy changes in response to the specific allegations.