Apple Sending Out Unsolicited Notifications for Echo Integration, Carpool Karaoke

Apple really wants you to know about Apple Music integration with Alexa and watch Carpool Karaoke, now.

Twitter // Brian Roemmelle

At the end of November, Amazon announced on its blog that Apple Music would be coming to Echo devices the week of December 17th. The music streaming service showed up a little earlier than expected last Friday, December 14th.

Now, according to a new report from The Verge, Apple has sent out a push notification late in the day yesterday promoting the new integration abilities with the Amazon Echo. It’s not the first time Apple has sent out unsolicited notifications.

Apple also sent push notifications to them on December 7 and December 14 to promote two episodes of Carpool Karaoke: one featuring Kendall Jenner and Hailey Baldwin and another featuring Jason Sudeikis and the Muppets. The notification pops up as a TV notification and gives people the option to tap it and start watching the show immediately.

Why did Apple just send me a notification about an all new carpool karaoke, something I’ve never watched and have absolutely no interest in?

— Mark Fletcher ? (@wingedpig) December 14, 2018

“Both of these new examples are less obtrusive than the most famous Apple push notification, which informed more than 500 million people that Apple had purchased and given them a free copy of U2’s Songs of Innocence,” reads The Verge‘s report. “That move, which reportedly cost Apple more than $100 million [USD], proved so unpopular that Apple created a special removal process and support website to help angered users get rid of it for good. But it’s these types of actions that undermine the trust Apple has built with its customers.”

Apple’s App Store policies are pretty clear on this point. “Notifications must not be required for the app to function, and should not be used for advertising, promotions, or direct marketing purposes or to send sensitive personal or confidential information,” Apple writes. “Abuse of these services may result in revocation of your privileges.”