Tag: app store

Following Landmark Court Ruling, Spotify Submits New App Update to Apple to Benefit U.S. Consumers

May 1, 2025

Updated May 2: In a victory for consumers, artists, creators, and authors, Apple has approved Spotify’s U.S. app update. After nearly a decade, this will finally allow us to freely show clear pricing information and links to purchase, fostering transparency and choice for U.S. consumers. We can now give consumers lower prices, more control, and easier access to the Spotify experience. There is more work to do, but today represents a significant milestone for developers and entrepreneurs everywhere who want to build and compete on a more level playing field. It’s the opening act of a new era, and we could not be more ready for the show.

On April 30, a U.S. federal judge ordered Apple to stop its illegal behavior and loosen its iron grip on its App Store, finding that the company was in “willful violation” of a 2021 injunction. This means that Apple will now have to stop restricting developers’ ability to communicate with their customers free of charge. While other governments around the world have taken steps against Apple’s harmful practices, this is, by far, the most consequential action to date—and it delivers the benefits that all consumers deserve around the world.

This is a great day for Spotify users in the U.S. We have just submitted a Spotify app update to Apple, which includes certain features we can now bring to our American users. Once Apple approves our update, U.S. consumers:

  • Can finally see how much something costs in our app, including pricing details on subscriptions and information about promotions that will save money; 
  • Can click a link to purchase the subscription of choice, upgrading from a Free account to one of our Premium plans;
  • Can seamlessly click the link and easily change Premium subscriptions from Individual to a Student, Duo, or Family plan; 
  • Can use other payment options beyond just  Apple’s payment system—we provide a wider range of options on our website; and 
  • Going forward, this opens the door to other seamless buying opportunities that will directly benefit creators (think easy-to-purchase audiobooks) 

If all of this seems obvious and user-friendly, you’re right, and we agree—these are the kinds of improvements that any app should offer its users. The fact that we haven’t been able to deliver these basic services, which were permitted by the judge’s order four years ago, is absurd. The ruling made it clear that Apple deliberately abused its market power to intentionally harm others and benefit only itself. But thanks to this important ruling in the case between Apple and Epic Games yesterday, this should change “effective immediately”—those are the judge’s words. 

Spotify has always believed that the internet should be a fair and open ecosystem. It’s absolutely necessary to fuel growth, innovation, and creator discovery. This groundbreaking decision could unlock real opportunities for creators building their businesses and sharing their art with fans through Spotify. For example, these changes should soon allow publishers to sell their audiobooks through Spotify’s platform seamlessly. 

Meaningful parts of Apple’s anticompetitive barriers have been removed, and it’s long overdue—this should be table stakes for doing business not only in the U.S., but in every corner of the world. 

Visit Time To Play Fair to learn more.

European Commission: Apple’s Abuses Harm Consumers

February 28, 2023

The European Commission has once again made it abundantly clear that consumers are the ultimate victims of Apple’s abusive and anticompetitive behavior—and putting a stop to it is a top priority.

Apple’s anti-steering rules, which prohibit Spotify and other developers from telling consumers about deals or promotions through their own apps, mean that users are deprived of opportunities to save money and enjoy a higher quality service. That directly harms consumers.

With each passing day, Apple continues to choke competition and smother innovation. The European Commission today is sending a clear message that Apple must play fair and let competition work. Momentum is on the side of consumers but they deserve final resolution—and soon.

Read Spotify’s Joint Letter with European Companies Calling for Meaningful Regulatory Action Against Apple

January 18, 2023

Apple’s anti-competitive behavior harms hard-working consumers and developers—and the longer we wait, the harder it will become to stop them. Today, Spotify and seven other companies and organizations in sectors including publishing, audio streaming, dating, communications, and marketplaces sent a joint letter to call for meaningful regulatory action against Apple’s long-standing anti-competitive practices in Europe. 

Almost four years ago, Spotify filed a formal antitrust complaint with the European Commission because Apple’s anti-competitive behavior was stifling innovation and harming developers and consumers across Europe and around the world. Since then, little has changed. Apple has been enabled by the lack of decisive action by regulators, who continue to move hesitantly, even in the face of a groundswell of support. 

The clock is ticking. It’s time for regulators to address the ever-growing chorus of complaints against Apple, a critical step in stopping Apple’s continued abuses of its powerful platform. 

Read the letter here and learn more at TimeToPlayFair.com.

US Senators, Tech CEOs, and More Make Their Voices Heard in Our Fight for Fair Competition on the Latest ‘For the Record’ Podcast

December 15, 2022

Over the past few years, it’s become abundantly clear that Apple tilts the playing field. It does this in favor of its own services in order to disadvantage rivals and make it harder for companies like Spotify—and so many others—to compete. This behavior harms consumers and app developers—and it stifles innovation from companies just trying to get off the ground.

This is about much more than just Spotify, which is why we have publicly advocated for platform fairness and pushed for expanded payment options, among other things, for a number of years. We are committed to fighting for fair competition, which, in turn, will unleash innovation as well as choice for consumers.

Today, we released a special episode of Spotify: For the Record featuring a chorus of voices who are as passionately focused as we are on creating a level playing field for all. Tune in to hear from our CEO, Daniel Ek; U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut); Agrin Health CEO Karen Thomas; Fanfix CEO Harry Gestetner; Schibsted CEO Kristin Skogen Lund; and ProtonMail CEO Andy Yen as they express their concerns about the impact of Apple’s unfair App Store rules on consumers and innovators alike and discuss the need for action.

Take a glimpse at what each of them had to say. 

“Our view is quite simple. We think that there needs to be regulation in this space. We think it is one where it has to make it clear that you as a developer or a company should be able to interact with your consumers. You should have the ability to bring new innovations to the market on equal terms as the platforms themselves, and that there should be a choice for how these consumers should be able to pay for goods and services on these platforms. And that can’t be dictated by Apple.” – Daniel Ek, CEO, Spotify

“The news that Apple plans to let rival app stores operate on iPhones in Europe shows that the arguments against our bill were simply scare tactics designed to stop it, and that’s why we must pass it.” – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar

“At the end of the day, what I would ask Tim Cook is to please support my bill. If you’re not doing any of these bad things, why not support the bill? If you’re in favor of competition and innovation, support the bill. If you believe that there’s no unfair charges, or rents, or whatever—no copy and kill. Support the bill.” – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal  

“It doesn’t matter if you’re Democrat, or Republican, or another party affiliation, app developers and innovators are saying we have an issue with market access and there is a way to solve this problem.” – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn  

“I think we have to re-envision what an app store is and the boundaries and the barriers that they put up in terms of gatekeepers . . . Status quo isn’t even an option anymore. We’re at a fork in the road. So either we pass this legislation and we send a signal to Apple and Google to say that monopoly won’t work—you’re going to have to behave better and participate in a free market—or we don’t.” – Karen Thomas, CEO, Agrin Health 

“I do think the majority of Gen Z is probably pretty unaware, but it’s going to take things like this and small businesses speaking out, creators speaking out, waking consumers up to the fact that this is going on and this is impacting their daily lives.” – Harry Gestetner, co-CEO, Fanfix 

“Probably almost the worst issue is that Apple blocks us from having access to data about our own customers. So that means we don’t know what kind of subscriptions our customers have bought via the Apple system. It means that we will either lose our business altogether or we will have very unhappy customers.” – Kristin Skogen Lund, CEO, Schibsted 

“The lack of people speaking up isn’t because there is no problem. The lack of people speaking up is actually a sign of the problem because people are so afraid that they’re just afraid to even say anything. And if that is the state of the Internet today, then I think that’s a terrible place for the world to be.” – Andy Yen, CEO, ProtonMail

And they’re all coming together with more than any single company at stake: “I’m fighting not because of just Spotify, but because I truly, at the core of my being, believe this is right,” Daniel Ek noted in the episode. “And it’s very important for the future of the economy and for app developers and creators alike.” 

We know that fair and open platforms enable better consumer experiences and allow developers to grow and thrive. When this happens, everybody wins.

Hear for yourself in the episode below. 

Access the full episode transcript here.