Spotify says Apple has rejected its app update with price information for EU users

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Apple has rejected Spotify’s new version of its iOS app with in-app pricing information for users in the European Union, the audio streaming firm said on Thursday.

The Swedish company submitted a new version of its app to Apple with basic pricing and website information, which is a minimum requirement under the European Commission’s ruling in its music streaming case, it said in a post on X on Wednesday.

“Apple continues to break European law,” and unfortunately that means we still can’t give EU consumers the information they need and the choices they deserve in our app. Here’s what we mean. pic.twitter.com/tkcXQkRqLy

— Spotify News (@SpotifyNews) April 24, 2024

Spotify said the Cupertino-based giant rejected its update in a response directly sent to the company.

Apple and the European Commission did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

“Apple has once again defied the European Commission’s decision, rejecting our update for attempting to communicate with customers about our prices unless we pay Apple a new tax. Their disregard for consumers and developers is matched only by their disdain for the law,” a spokesperson for Spotify said in a statement.

In March, Brussels fined Apple with 1.84 billion euros ($1.97 billion) for thwarting competition from music streaming rivals via restrictions on its App Store, marking its first ever EU antitrust penalty, following a 2019 complaint from Spotify.

Earlier this month, Apple also announced measures that would let music streaming apps on its App Store in the European Economic Area to inform users of other ways to purchase digital services, as it looks to comply with a European Union mandate.

Under Apple’s proposal, Spotify and other streaming services can include link to their websites to inform users of payment options outside its App Store. However, Spotify said in the new version submitted to Apple it did not include the in-app link.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow