I Keep Seeing A “Congratulations” Pop-up On My iPhone! The Fix.

You were browsing the web on your iPhone when a strange pop-up appeared. It says that you’ve won an amazing prize and all you have to do is claim it. In this article, I’ll explain what to do when you see a “Congratulations” pop-up on your iPhone and show you how to report this scam to Apple.

Lots of members of the Payette Forward iPhone Help Facebook Group reported these pop-ups to us, so we wanted to write an article about how you can fix this problem and get rid of those annoying pop-ups.

Does It Sound Too Good To Be True?

Well, that’s because it is. Unfortunately, you haven’t won anything — sorry to burst your bubble.

This pop-up is nothing more than another desperate attempt by scammers to steal your private information. The steps below will show you how to keep your personal information safe and protected after you’ve seen the “Congratulations” pop-up on your iPhone.

congratulations pop up iphone

Close Out Of Your Web Browser

When you encounter a pop-up like this, or the classic “virus detected on iPhone”, immediately close out of Safari. Don’t tap the pop-up or try to close out of it. More often than not, the X in the corner of the pop-up will just launch another ad.

To close out of your web browsing app on an iPhone 8 or earlier, double-click the Home button to open up the app switcher. Then, swipe the app up and off the screen. You’ll know your web browsing app is closed when it doesn’t appear in the app switcher.

Drag your finger up from the very bottom of the screen until the app switcher opens. Then, press and hold on the picture of the app until you see a red minus button in the upper left-hand corner of the picture. Then, either swipe the app up and off the top of the screen, or tap the red minus button to close the app.

close apps iphone 8 vs iphone x

Clear Your Browser’s History & Website Data

After closing out of the app, the next thing to do when you see a “Congratulations” pop-up on your iPhone is to clear out the history of your web browsing app. When you saw the pop-up, a cookie may have been stored in your web browser which the scammer could use to track your internet activity!

Read our complete guide on clearing browser history in both Safari and Chrome to fully eliminate any potential security risks from the “Congratulations” pop-up on your iPhone.

Report The Scammers To Apple

Now that you’ve sorted out the issue on your iPhone, I recommend taking it a step further and reporting this scam to Apple. Not only will reporting the scam help out other iPhone users, but it’ll also protect your information if it did get stolen.

Congratulations! Your iPhone Is Fixed.

Although you didn’t win anything, you definitely won’t be losing anything important like your personal information. Lots of people have been running into these “Congratulations” pop-ups on their iPhone, so I hope you’ll share this article with them on social media. If you have any other questions, leave them in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading,
David L.

About Author

David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.

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Marites Cellan
4 years ago

I cant an expected i won?… So Thank you very much!!.. Purok1-A Km.2 Baan highway, Brgy.20 Riverside Butuan City, Agusan del Norte 8600.

Browne Dan
5 years ago

I received these congratulations ads from Verizon by text message. They direct you to do a purchase deal for a service or product. They will send you a check for $1000. You receive the merchandise but not the check. These companies should be reported to the FTC.

JR Malesic
5 years ago

thanks for nothing… well documented problem of which this is the common answer that DOESNT work..

Celine Peter
5 years ago

Hi I’m Celine Peter I’m one of Google user for phone give away.

David Dutton
5 years ago

What a stupid article This is not a fix

Laurel Gales Stanford
5 years ago

I dont want to wipe out my history. Im an educator and refer to the history all the time. Apple needs to stop this. Stat.

Rick Bear
5 years ago

This fix did not help me. I am still getting the pop up. I even wiped my entire iPad and Im still getting it when I get back into Safari.

Rick Clark
5 years ago

Thank You…I have not seen this pop-up, but added your “info” to Bookmarks! Appreciate all your Payette Forward help!

Ann Clewer
5 years ago

Just had this problem on my iPad. It started when I opened a rail ticket booking app. I tried clearing history in Safari, it didnt work. So I deleted the app, switched the IPad off and on again, cleared history in Safari again – and the pop-up was gone.

Jerauld Brown
5 years ago

I always get these in my Twitter feed, not in Safari or a browser? I have to force close the app and restart.

Pavel Islam
5 years ago

I love

Rob Gilcrest
5 years ago

These pop-ups happen in the Facebook App too, not just in Safari/Browser. Not sure this solve fixes that.

Tony Stuart
5 years ago

what if you thought it was not a scam and followed the promps, what do i do if they now have my information?

Sharon Levites
5 years ago

How do you remove it from your iPad? It pops up from several browser carriers but same pop up ad with that Amazon congratulations you have won ad?