According to an email from Spotify to the EU Commission obtained by The Verge, Apple did not approve the updates Spotify made to the European version of its app.
The update is intended to embed pricing information and subscription links that direct iPhone users to the Spotify website in the app.
According to The Verge, Spotify updated in March, a day after Apple was fined nearly $2 billion by the European Union for banning app users from informing them of cheaper payment options outside of the App Store. The European Union considered this action illegal under the Digital Markets Act.
As The Verge reported, Spotify said in an email that Apple's refusal to implement the update raises concerns about how the company could "evade or otherwise fail the Commission's decision." He said it was “another example” for the future.
“Given Apple’s past record, Spotify fears that Apple’s delays are intentional and aimed at delaying or preventing compliance,” The Verge reported.
A Spotify spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that the email was genuine.
It's been 9 days and we're still waiting for Apple to send us its price display app and a link to our website for EU consumers. The European Commission's decision in the music streaming case now allows us to do just that. Spotify spokesman Gene Moran said in an emailed statement to BI on March 14:
"Apple's delay is in direct contradiction to its commitment to review applications within 24 hours and contradicts the Commission's recruitment plan," Moran added.
Apple did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on Spotify's claims.
Tensions between Spotify and Apple have been high for years.
In March 2019, Spotify filed a complaint against Apple with the European Commission, accusing the iPhone maker of anti-competitive practices, particularly regarding the App Store's payment system and restrictions on app distribution. Spotify says these costs and policies unfairly favor Apple Music over other streaming services.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has since publicly criticized Apple's actions. When Apple announced in January that it would allow developers to distribute apps on third-party DMA-enabled marketplaces, Ek called it a "new low" for Apple's antitrust efforts.
“Their response to DMA was a masterclass in distortion,” Spotify X CEO wrote in an earlier Twitter thread. "They present a simple choice: stay with the current conditions or switch to a complex new model that looks attractive on the surface but requires higher premiums."
In response to the EU fine, Apple said it would continue to support Spotify's growth in the European digital music market and not charge a fee.
“Spotify wants to change the rules in its favor by embedding subscription pricing into its apps without using the App Store’s in-app purchasing system,” Apple said in a March 4 statement. “They want to use Apple’s tools and technology, sell them on the App Store, and benefit from the trust we build with our users. And they don't want to pay Apple for it. That does not exist."
In short, Spotify wants more, Apple concluded.
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