Spotify to add price information in-app on Apple’s App Store in EU
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Spotify (NYSE:SPOT) said Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone consumers in the EU will now see pricing information in the app and users can go to Spotify’s website to buy items.
“Unfortunately, Spotify and all music streaming services in the EU are still not able to freely give consumers a simple opportunity to click a link to purchase in app because of the illegal and predatory taxes Apple continues to demand, despite the Commission’s ruling,” Spotify said in a press release on Wednesday.
The European Commission said in March that Apple’s App Stores rules for music streaming providers, notably Spotify, were considered “abusive.” Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president of the European Commission, said that “for a decade, Apple has restricted music streaming app developers from informing their consumers about cheaper options available outside of the app.” In May, it was reported that Apple challenged the €1.8B ($1.9B) fine imposed by the EU regulator.
Spotify said on Wednesday that it is opting into Apple’s “entitlement” for music streaming services, created after the European Commission’s ruling.
Apple had said that music streaming apps on the App Store in the European Economic Area, or EEA, can use the Music Streaming Services Entitlement to include a link to the developer’s website that informs users of other ways to buy services, invite users to provide their email address with the express purpose of sending them links or provide information about purchases available on the developer’s website, without a link.
Spotify noted that that EU iPhone consumers will now benefit from seeing its end of summer promotional pricing. The users will also be able to see how much a Premium plan of their choosing costs once the promotion ends.
Meanwhile, consumers on other operating systems like Android will continue to see the promotion and pricing information as they did before.
Earlier this month, Apple updated its App Store fee structure for developers in the EU to comply with rules under the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act, or DMA. The changes centered around how app developers using Apple’s App Store in the EU link to the web to show users alternative payment methods.