Spotify vs. Apple: A fight for fair play in the tech world

Spotify has been talking for a while about its issues with Apple’s App Store rules, and those worries don’t seem to be disappearing, as a recent statement from Spotify reveals.

The Swedish company Spotify released a statement accusing Apple of playing an unfair game on which it claims “the future of the internet economy depends.” According to Spotify, Apple’s restrictions clash with the idea that every company should have an equal opportunity to compete and attract customers and instead, the tech giant favors its own financial interests.

Spotify’s latest frustration with Apple appears to stem from the recent launch of audiobooks on Spotify. Dustee Jenkins, Chief public affairs officer at Spotify, shares that “Apple stood in the way and our (Spotify’s) engineers were forced to create a complicated, multi-step process for audiobooks that users don’t want or deserve.”

The company contends that Apple’s practices not only harm the user experience, but prevent Spotify from informing customers about Premium membership pricing upgrades, offering payment options outside of Apple’s rules, or introducing new features without Apple’s explicit approval.

Jenkins further adds: “I’d prefer not to be forced to share sensitive business plans with our biggest competitor, giving them insights from which they can copy, learn and gain an unfair advantage.” Apple Music is indeed one of Spotify’s major competitors, even though Spotify boasts more than 550 million users compared to Apple Music’s 88 million users.

The battle between Spotify and Apple dates back to 2019 when Spotify lodged complaints of anti-competitive behavior against Apple in the European Union. Now, the Swedish company acknowledges that there’s been some progress as “regulators in Europe have taken up the mantle to intervene in Apple’s app store dominance.”

In the UK, Parliament is making moves with the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Bill (DMCC), while in the US, Congress is gearing up to reintroduce the Open App Markets Act. According to Spotify the battle “goes beyond music, beyond apps, beyond even the companies that exist today. This fight is about shaping the future of the internet.”

The ball is now in Apple’s court, and we’ll have to wait and see how the tech giant chooses to play. Will it make changes to its App Store policies or simply respond to these allegations and concerns? Stay tuned to find out!