Over
the
past
couple
of
months,
Spotify
has
been
submitting
update
after
update
to
Apple,
changing
the
interface
of
its
music
streaming
service
to
display
pricing
information
in-app
for
users
in
the
European
Union.
For
users,
this
is
barely
worth
noticing.
But
for
Spotify,
each
submission
has
been
yet
another
skirmish
in
its
yearslong
legal
struggle
with
Apple
in
the
EU.
And
right
now,
Spotify
is
the
closest
it’s
ever
been
to
getting
Apple
to
finally
cave.
In
March,
the
European
Commission
ruled
against
Apple
in
an
antitrust
action
over
App
Store
restrictions
on
music
streaming
services.
In
2019,
Spotify
filed
an antitrust
complaint
against
Apple,
claiming
that
the
App
Store’s
cut
of
subscription
fees
— which
can
be
up
to
30
percent
— stifled
innovation
and
harmed
consumer
choice.
The
Commission
ultimately
agreed
with
Spotify
and
hit
Apple
with
a
€1.84
billion
(about
$2
billion)
fine.
It
also
determined
that
the
company’s
anti-steering
rules
are
illegal
and
ordered
Apple
to
allow
music
streaming
services
to
“freely
communicate
with”
their
users
“within
their
apps
about
available
subscription
options,”
including
linking
to
external
subscription
options.
Shortly
after
the
Commission’s
ruling,
Spotify
submitted
an
update
that
put
pricing
information
directly
inside
the
app
and
linked
users
to
external
subscription
options
outside
of
Apple’s
payment
system.
Apple
never
responded.
(Apple
says
that
it
reviews
90
percent
of
submissions
in
“less
than
24
hours.”)
On
April
5th
—
just
one
day
before
the
European
Commission
could
begin
enforcing
its
decision
to
block
Apple’s
anti-steering
rules
—
Apple
carved
out
a
new
entitlement
program
that
would
let
music
streaming
apps
include
external
links
to
purchases.
That
sounds
great
and
all,
but
Apple
also
wants
a
27
percent
cut
of
those
purchases.
To
get
around
that
fee,
Spotify
submitted
another
version
of
its
app
for
EU
customers
weeks
later.
This
time,
it
only
had
basic
pricing
information
instead
of
links
to
the
streaming
app’s
website.
Apple
rejected
the
app
update
shortly
after
it
was
submitted.
It
said
Spotify
must
agree
to
the
entitlement
and
pay
Apple
a
commission
regardless
of
whether
the
app
includes
an
external
link.
So
now
the
dispute
is
going
back
to
the
European
Commission.
“Ultimately,
what
we
want
is
the
ability
to
communicate
to
our
users
about
prices,
better
plans,”
Harry
Clarke,
the
associate
general
counsel
for
Spotify,
said
during
a
press
briefing
on
Wednesday.
“We
want
users
to
have
a
better
experience,
and
that’s
why
the
commission
reached
these
conclusions.”
As
the
Commission
looks
into
whether
Apple’s
new
music
streaming
app
policy
complies
with
its
court
order,
it’s
also
in
the
bloc’s
crosshairs
for
another
reason:
the
Digital
Markets
Act
(DMA).
Apple
is
considered
a
“gatekeeper”
under
the
new
set
of
laws
that
went
into
effect
earlier
this
year
and
governs
how
Big
Tech
operates.
It
has
already
led
Apple
to
start
allowing
developers
with
apps
in
the
EU
use
alternative
payment
options
and
distribute
their
apps
on
alternative
app
stores,
given
that
they
agree
to
Apple’s
new
business
terms
and
pay
its
new
Core
Technology
Fee.
The
Commission
opened
an
investigation
into
Apple
in
March
over
concerns
its
changes
don’t
fully
comply
with
the
DMA.
This
could
subject
Apple
to
not
one
—
but
two
—
enforcement
actions
in
the
EU
if
the
Commission
finds
any
wrongdoing,
and
Spotify
seems
confident
that
the
EU
will
do
right
by
it.
“The
question
for
the
commission
is
whether
it
addresses
it
through
a
non-compliance
investigation
of
the
case
or
through
the
DMA
non-compliance
investigation,”
Clarke
said.
“I
would
argue
it
should
do
both.”
(Originally posted by Emma Roth)
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