Apple says it plans to enchantment the historic €1.84 billion tremendous issued right this moment by the European Fee over Apple’s anticompetitive practices within the streaming music market. In a newsroom publish, Apple referred to as out Spotify, an organization based mostly in Stockholm, Sweden because the “primary advocate” and “biggest beneficiary” of the EC’s determination — noting the streamer had a 56% share of the streaming music market in Europe.
The Cupertino-based tech large had already aired its views on Spotify within the days main as much as the EC’s ruling, saying that Spotify’s grievance was about “trying to get limitless access to all of Apple’s tools without paying.”
Apple had additionally earlier shared varied private particulars about Spotify’s enterprise on Apple’s platforms by noting that the streamer accessed “thousands of Apple’s APIs across 60 frameworks;” that it examined its apps utilizing Apple’s Testflight platform; that it had submitted over 420 variations of its app to Apple’s app evaluate; and that its app had been downloaded re-downloaded or up to date greater than 119 billion instances throughout Apple gadgets.
In its response right this moment to the EC tremendous, Apple factors to the size of Spotify’s enterprise, and that of the European digital music market as a complete — a market that as of final 12 months encompasses almost 160 million subscribers, up from 25 million in 2015.
Apple once more confused that Spotify pays Apple nothing by way of App Retailer commissions as a result of it sells its subscriptions solely on Apple’s web site. This goes to the guts of Spotify’s grievance — it desires to speak with its prospects about these subscriptions plus different promos and reductions from inside its iOS app. Apple’s anti-steering guidelines for years largely prevented this, however Apple in 2022 launched an exception for “reader apps,” like streamers, that enable apps to hyperlink their customers to an internet site. Nevertheless, Apple continues to be accountable for approving who can implement this exception as a method of controlling the state of affairs, slightly than simply updating its guidelines to brazenly enable hyperlinks.
Spotify didn’t reap the benefits of the reader app exception, Apple says, however slightly desires to “wants to bend the rules in their favor by embedding subscription prices in their app, without using the App Store’s In-App Purchase system,” its announcement states.
“They want to use Apple’s tools and technologies, distribute on the App Store, and benefit from the trust we’ve built with users — and to pay Apple nothing for it,” Apple says. “In short, Spotify wants more.”
Apple says that whereas it respects the European Fee, the details don’t help the choice, and ” consequently, Apple will enchantment.”
“Every day, teams at Apple work to keep that dream alive,” Apple wrote. “We do it by making the App Store the safest and best experience for our users. We do it by giving developers the means to make incredible apps. Most of all, we do it because apps have an incredible capacity to drive innovations that empower people and enrich their lives.”