Apple relents and approves Spotify app with EU pricing
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
Spotify will begin showing in-app pricing information for iPhone users in the European Union starting today, following a yearslong legal battle against Apple. In an update to an old blog post, Spotify says that EU iPhone users will now see things like promotional offers and pricing information for each subscription tier — including how much a plan costs once a promotion ends.
One thing that’s missing is the ability to click a link to make those purchases from outside the Apple App Store. Spotify says it’s opting into the “music streaming services entitlement” that Apple introduced after being served a €1.84 billion (about $2 billion) EU antitrust fine in March for “abusing its dominant position” in music streaming, rather than accepting the complicated new developer terms Apple outlined last week. Unlike the entitlement, the latter would allow EU developers to link to external payment options with Apple taking a cut of off-platform sales. Spotify clearly doesn’t want to do that, saying that Apple is demanding “illegal and predatory taxes.”
Image: Spotify / The Verge
Here’s what iPhone users in the EU saw before…
Image: Spotify
…and after, now with transparent pricing. Some options will also direct customers to purchase Premium subscriptions via Spotify’s website.
Spotify has been battling Apple in the EU ever since 2019 when it first filed an antitrust complaint over App Store rules. As recently as March, Spotify said that Apple was blocking efforts like today’s changes.
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
Spotify will begin showing in-app pricing information for iPhone users in the European Union starting today, following a yearslong legal battle against Apple. In an update to an old blog post, Spotify says that EU iPhone users will now see things like promotional offers and pricing information for each subscription tier — including how much a plan costs once a promotion ends.
One thing that’s missing is the ability to click a link to make those purchases from outside the Apple App Store. Spotify says it’s opting into the “music streaming services entitlement” that Apple introduced after being served a €1.84 billion (about $2 billion) EU antitrust fine in March for “abusing its dominant position” in music streaming, rather than accepting the complicated new developer terms Apple outlined last week. Unlike the entitlement, the latter would allow EU developers to link to external payment options with Apple taking a cut of off-platform sales. Spotify clearly doesn’t want to do that, saying that Apple is demanding “illegal and predatory taxes.”
Image: Spotify / The Verge
Here’s what iPhone users in the EU saw before…
Image: Spotify
…and after, now with transparent pricing. Some options will also direct customers to purchase Premium subscriptions via Spotify’s website.
Spotify has been battling Apple in the EU ever since 2019 when it first filed an antitrust complaint over App Store rules. As recently as March, Spotify said that Apple was blocking efforts like today’s changes.