After years of tensions with Apple, Spotify today announces that it will no longer be possible to pay for its subscription via App Store billing. A decision that will not surprise many people, because this method has not been available for years. But this was the case from 2014 to 2016, and some users continued to pay this way. The Swedish firm has therefore launched a vast email campaign to encourage them to resubscribe to the subscription directly from the site.
It is also indicated that the accounts concerned will automatically switch to the free offer of Spotify, and that the payments will be stopped at the end of the current month. It will therefore be necessary to re-register by going to the management interface of your account, and using your bank card or Paypal account (via Spotify.com) to find your advantages.
The Variety site has looked into the matter and indicates that in 2019, internal documents from Apple showed that around 680,000 people still paid in this way. A drop in the ocean represented today by Spotify’s more than 200 million subscribers. But the two companies have never given each other gifts.
This decision, certainly expected, has the air of epilogues. Last year, Apple was forced to allow some apps to include external links to their own payment platforms. This followed a complaint filed in 2019, Spotify accusing Apple of deliberately putting spokes in its wheels to impose its audio service (Apple Music) and receive commissions deemed too high.
Recently, Spotify also denounced the behavior “anti-competitive” of the Californian, accused of purposely preventing him from developing his offer of audio books.
Faced with repeated decisions from the European Commission, but also from the Japanese Fair Trade Commission, the Cupertino company was therefore forced to let go. However, this should not change its business strategy, which is largely based on its online store.