Apple and Spotify are on the warpath

The competitive battle between tech giant Apple and music streaming platform Spotify is entering a new chapter. After the European Commission fined Apple €1.84 billion for anti-competitive practices in the music streaming market, Spotify offered an update to the App Store. Here are all the details…

Apple and Spotify are at war with each other

With the update, Spotify started showing the prices and features of its different plans in the EU directly in the app. A link also allows users to purchase subscriptions from Spotify’s website. The move is interpreted as an effort to become independent from Apple‘s in-app payment system and eliminate the commission.

Apple and Spotify are on the warpath
Spotify has updated its iOS app to show pricing details and direct purchase links in response to a European Commission antitrust ruling against Apple (image credit: Barış Selman / DALL-E 3)

Spotify’s move is seen as a result of the European Commission’s decision to challenge Apple’s monopoly on the App Store. The Commission ordered Apple to allow streaming music developers to communicate freely with their users.

But Apple is not sitting idle. Arguing that Spotify is the “biggest beneficiary” of the App Store and has most of the market share in Europe, Apple does not believe Spotify will benefit from this update. It is also reported that Apple plans to charge additional fees to companies like Spotify under the name of “core technology fee”.

These updates could start a significant shift in the music streaming market. Spotify’s update and Apple’s response could lead to more competition and consumer choices.

Apple and Spotify are on the warpath
Apple and Spotify are engaged in fierce competition within the music-streaming market (image credit)

Additional information:

  • Apple has not yet approved Spotify’s update to the App Store.
  • Purchasing a subscription on Spotify’s website may be cheaper than Apple’s in-app payment system.
  • Complying with Apple’s changes may financially burden companies like Spotify.

Final thoughts

Who will win this battle between Apple and Spotify? What is the future of the music streaming market? Time will tell the answer to these questions.


Featured image credit: Barış Selman / DALL-E 3

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