It’s been several weeks since Spotify sent a new version of its iOS mobile app for approval, which already includes subscription prices for European users and links to Spotify’s website. The streaming service, on the other hand, expressed its dissatisfaction after Apple still did not release the new version, which has been in dispute since March.
The Swedish streaming service turned to the European Commission at the time, stating in an email that Apple would not approve updates to their app or respond to requests. According to the DMA, the European Union’s digital market regulation, Apple must allow music streaming apps to use third-party payment systems. In addition to the fact that Apple will no longer be able to charge a commission for in-app purchases as of March 7, according to the provisions of the DMA, the legislation also opens the way for Spotify to display specific prices in its application.
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According to the official response of the Cupertino company, the streaming service does not comply with the requirements and rules that allow the placement of links to external websites. Apple has created a music streaming services entitlement (Music Streaming Services Entitlement) for players in the European Economic Area, which is necessary to place external links and buttons to redirect to external websites during payments. To add the features, developers must accept the terms, which Spotify has not done so far, according to the company – although when Spotify announced its update request on March 5, Apple’s new authorization system did not even exist.
The twist is that with eligibility, music app developers must agree to pay Apple a 27% commission on purchases made through this alternative process, which is slightly lower than the usual 30% for paying directly from the App Store. os fee, but still only an “Apple tax”, and for Spotify, which has not paid at all so far, it cannot be a very sympathetic condition. So if Spotify or any other music streaming service places a link in its app that a user clicks and subscribes to, it owes Apple a 27 percent commission.
The company links the approval of Spotify version 8.9.33 to this, and asks the service to resubmit the updated app by accepting the terms.
