September 21, 2023

Spotify has began warning customers paying for his or her Premium subscription through Apple’s iOS App Retailer that they might want to select one other billing methodology. As reported by Selection, the music streaming service has began sending emails to Premium subscribers to warn them that it’s not accepting funds through the App Retailer.

The emails say that subscribers will routinely change to Spotify Free on the finish of their final billing interval. To maintain their Premium advantages, they might want to resubscribe on spotify.com with one other cost methodology, together with a bank card or Paypal.

As a result of Apple takes a 30% lower on all in-app purchases on iOS (this fee fee on subscriptions drops to fifteen% after the primary 12 months), Spotify customers had been charged an additional $3/month in the event that they determined to subscribe to Premium through the iOS App Retailer. Clearly, the comfort of utilizing Apple’s billing system wasn’t price it. “These actions will assist make sure that we will proceed to offer a constant best-in-class subscription expertise for all our customers,” a Spotify spokesperson informed Selection.

To protest towards Apple’s lower on in-app purchases, Spotify had really stopped accepting new subscribers to pay for Premium through Apple’s billing system again in Might 2016. The music streaming service adopted up in 2019 with a proper criticism towards Apple with the European Fee.

Earlier this 12 months, Spotify together with different firms as soon as once more urged the EU Fee to take motion towards Apple. Issues might lastly change as soon as the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which is about to return into impact in spring 2024, lastly pushes Apple to permit third-party app shops on iOS in Europe. Within the meantime, Google has already began piloting person alternative billing on its Android Play Retailer, and Spotify is likely one of the first Android apps to permit customers to decide on how they need to pay for his or her Premium subscription.