"Yesterday, a user claimed on Reddit that Duolingo advertised its premium subscription offering through a feature Apple created to enable apps to display time-sensitive notifications-not ads. The notification in question appeared as a live activity banner on the user's iPhone which said, "Claim your Super offer!" along with a countdown timer, according to the Reddit post. When the user clicked the notification, it showed an ad for the app's paid subscription."
"It's likely that Apple would disapprove of Duolingo using live activity notifications to promote its subscription service, as doing so goes against the Cupertino, California-based company's original intent for the feature. According to its Human Interface Guidelines for developers, Apple created this type of notification so that users could more easily track the status of tasks and events over several hours. "For example, a Live Activity might show the remaining time until a food delivery order arrives, live in-game information for a soccer match, or real-time fitness metrics and interactive controls to pause or cancel a workout," the document says. Apple then expressly tells developers not to "use a Live Activity to display ads or promotions.""
Duolingo reportedly used Apple's Live Activity notifications to promote its paid 'Super' subscription, presenting a banner with a countdown and a 'Claim your Super offer!' prompt that opened into an ad. Many Reddit users reacted angrily and accused Duolingo of violating Apple's terms, with some calling for App Store removal. Apple designed Live Activities to let users track time-sensitive tasks and events such as deliveries, sports scores, or fitness metrics. Apple explicitly instructs developers not to use Live Activities for ads or promotions. Uncertainty remains about whether the specific use violates Apple's formal App Store terms.
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