Apple Store Customers Targeted With Creative AirDropped Ad Campaign to Promote 'Cheaper and Greener' Refurbished Devices

Apple Store customers in Paris, Berlin, and London shopping for a new iPhone were recently presented with a unique and creative surprise when they saw an AirDrop message appear on the devices that aimed to convince them to purchase a refurbished ‌iPhone‌ instead of a completely new model.

back market airdrop Large
The ad campaign by Back Market, a website that specializes in selling refurbished consumer electronics, consisted of sending an AirDrop message to iPhones on display in Apple's retail store that led to a webpage that promotes refurbished devices.

"Quick! Security isn't looking... It's time to go refurbished with a cheaper and greener model," the webpage read. "Did you know this ‌iPhone‌ is available in white, black, blue, and greener?" it added.

Back Market offers a wide range of refurbished devices for sale. Back Market offers a wide range of refurbished devices for sale, with prices varying depending on model and condition. Back Market says that a "refurbished phone represents 176 lbs off of our collective carbon footprint. Manufacturing a new smartphone produces about 191 lbs of CO2e. Refurbishing? Just 15 lbs. Lose the weight: no extra effort, just extra savings."

Apple does have its own refurbished program, but unlike Back Market, it's only currently offering the iPhone 11 Pro from three years ago for $919.

Popular Stories

CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
iPhone Security Feature 25

Five iPhone Security Features You Should Be Using

Wednesday April 16, 2025 4:15 pm PDT by
Apple has quite a few security features that it's added to iPhones, iPads, and Macs over the years. Now more than ever, it's important to make sure you're taking advantage of the built-in security tools that are available to keep yourself and your data safe, so we've rounded up a list of the most important options. If you don't already have these enabled, you might want to consider turning...
vision air cable

Images of Apple 'Vision Air' Power Cable Emerge Online

Thursday April 17, 2025 5:55 am PDT by
More images of a redesigned power cable allegedly for a future Apple "Vision Air" headset were today shared online by the prototype collector and leaker known as "Kosutami." Yesterday, the leaker explained that the Apple "Vision Air" will feature a thinner design and switch the battery enclosure and several of its internal structures to titanium to reduce the device's overall weight. Most of ...

Top Rated Comments

bLackjackj Avatar
39 months ago
Even better,..they managed to dupe MacRumors into advertising them for FREE! ?‍♂️
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
japanime Avatar
39 months ago
Oh, I'm for sure gonna click on an AirDropped link from somebody or something I don't know. ?

"Creative surprise"? Is that what you really think this is, Sami?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rorschach Avatar
39 months ago
This is why my AirDrop stays off or on "Contacts Only".
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ruka.snow Avatar
39 months ago
Well there is a company to strike off ever doing business with. It is completely unacceptable that they feel they are allowed to send messages to my or anyone else’s phone.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrENGLISH Avatar
39 months ago

Well there is a company to strike off ever doing business with. It is completely unacceptable that they feel they are allowed to send messages to my or anyone else’s phone.
Exactly! I'm also cringing at the idea that articles like this are also giving them all this free marketing exposure. I find all of this disgusting.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antiprotest Avatar
39 months ago
This looks like regular Airdrop spam. How is it "unique" and "creative"? Is there something different that I missed?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)