Apple has yet to update the Spotify app with pricing information, The Verge reports. Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez/Getty Images; Nurphoto/Getty Images
Apple still hasn’t responded to Spotify’s request to update its EU app with pricing information.
Spotify claims the silence is Apple’s way of “avoiding compliance” with EU regulations, according to The Verge.
Spotify released the update a day after the EU fined Apple almost $2 billion (1.84 billion euros).
This is a machine translation of an article from our US colleagues at Business Insider. It was automatically translated and checked by a real editor.
Not even a fine of almost two billion dollars (1.84 billion euros) from the European Commission seems to be able to stop Apple from arguing with Spotify.
Apple reportedly did not acknowledge the update that Spotify made to the European version of its app. This emerges from an email that Spotify sent to the EU Commission „The Verge“ is present.
The update should build things like pricing information and subscription links that direct iPhone users to Spotify’s website directly into the app.
According to The Verge, Spotify released the update in March, a day after Apple was hit with an EU fine of almost $2 billion (1.84 million euros) for banning developers from charging app users with cheaper payment options outside of the EU To inform app stores. The EU deemed this practice illegal in accordance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Read too
EU Commission imposes billion-dollar fine on Apple’s music streaming service
Spotify wrote in its email that Apple’s refusal to comply with the update is “another example” of how the company will “attempt to circumvent and/or not comply” with the Commission’s decision if left unchecked. reported The Verge.
“Given Apple’s track record, Spotify is concerned that Apple’s delay is intentional and aimed at delaying or avoiding compliance,” the email said.
A Spotify spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider US that the email is genuine.
“It has now been nine days and we are still waiting to hear from Apple that we have submitted our app to show EU consumers pricing and a link to our website, which we are now doing by the decision of the European Commission in the music streaming case,” Spotify spokeswoman Jeanne Moran wrote in an emailed statement to BI on March 14.
“Apple’s delay is in direct contradiction to its claim that it reviews app submissions within 24 hours, and it also contradicts the Commission’s adoption timeline,” Moran continued.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider US regarding Spotify’s claims.
Tensions between Spotify and Apple have been simmering for years.
In March 2019, Spotify filed a complaint with the European Commission a complaint against Apple, accusing the iPhone maker of anti-competitive practices, particularly related to the App Store’s fee structure and restrictions on app distribution. Spotify argued that these costs and policies unfairly favor Apple Music over other streaming services.
Since then, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has repeatedly publicly criticized Apple’s practices. In January, when Apple announced it would allow developers to distribute apps through third-party marketplaces to comply with the DMA, Ek called Apple’s response to the antitrust law a new low.
“Your response to the DMA is a masterclass in distortion,” the Spotify CEO wrote in a thread on X, formerly Twitter. “They present us with a ‘simple’ choice: stay with current conditions or switch to a convoluted new model that looks attractive at first glance but potentially has even higher fees.”
Read too
Two German bands with over 133,000 listeners per month reveal how much they earn from Spotify
In its response to the EU fine, Apple claimed that it has continuously supported Spotify’s growth in the European digital music market and has not charged any fees.
“Spotify wants to bend the rules in its favor by embedding subscription pricing into its app without using the App Store’s in-app purchasing system,” Apple wrote in a March 4 statement. “They want to use Apple’s tools and technologies, distribute them through the App Store and benefit from the trust we have built with users – and not pay Apple anything for it.”
“In short, Spotify wants more,” Apple concluded.
Read the original article in English here.