Electronics technician and consumer rights advocate Louis Rossmann has published a series of YouTube videos alleging that some Apple Store employees in the United States signed customers up for auto‑renewing trials for Apple One and other services without obtaining informed consent.
How Apple Store subscriptions sign-ups reportedly worked
At some U.S. Apple Stores, employees reportedly invite a customer to scan a QR code for a personalized shopping experience called Connect and Personalize. If the customer agrees, the employee can view certain account details on a company device, including which Apple devices the customer owns, which services they already subscribe to, and which subscription offers are available based on recent purchases.
Employees can then display available subscription offers on their device, with Agree and Decline buttons. The default payment method linked to the customer Apple ID is automatically available for subscription sign-ups as long as it has not expired.
Tipsters who contacted Rossmann say some employees activated trials without adequately explaining that the trials would automatically renew and bill the customer later. In some cases employees allegedly rushed through the process, were told to present trials as gifts, or even tapped the Agree button themselves without explicit customer consent. Apple does send an email when a trial is activated, but customers may not notice or realize the message refers to an auto‑renewing subscription.
Services attach rate and Apple response
At least some U.S. stores reportedly tracked a services attach rate metric with a target of 40 percent per retail employee, meaning staff were encouraged to get at least four out of every ten customers who purchased a device to also sign up for at least one subscription. Apple removed that services metric for employees early last week, just days after Rossmann’s videos were published. The company said the metric is less relevant during the holiday season, when many purchases are gifts.
Later in the week Apple issued an internal memo reminding retail staff of the importance of respecting customer privacy and obtaining consent when offering subscription trials and using the Connect and Personalize system, and also when processing Apple Upgrade sign-ups and Genius Bar work authorizations. The memo was issued ahead of the first weekend of Apple’s holiday shopping season, when the company hires additional staff to handle increased customer traffic. Whether the timing was driven solely by seasonal considerations or also influenced by Rossmann’s videos cannot be determined from the available information.
How to check and cancel subscriptions
On an iPhone, open Settings, tap your name at the top of the screen, then tap Subscriptions to see active subscriptions and trials on your Apple Account. From there you can select an individual subscription and tap Cancel Subscription or Cancel All Services to cancel.
To dispute a transaction with Apple, go to reportaproblem.apple.com, choose the Request a refund option, and follow the steps. It is also recommended to regularly review credit card and bank statements to confirm you have not been charged unexpectedly.
