Spotify is testing Apple’s resolve with a new EU pricing update

It’s a post-Digital Markets Act (DMA) world, and Spotify continues to test what that means for its iOS app. The music streamer announced that it has submitted an update for Apple’s approval that will allow Spotify to display “basic pricing and website information” on its app in Europe and “the necessary minimum outlined under the European Commission’s ruling in its music streaming case.”

In the news, shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Spotify’s chief public relations officer Dusty Jenkins also said: “By charging developers to communicate with users through in-app links, Apple continues to violate European laws. It is high time for the Commission to implement its decision so that consumers see real, positive benefits.”

Apple and Spotify have alternately clashed over what the latter can and cannot do with its iOS app. After the DMA went into effect, Spotify sent an update to Apple that would have allowed users to buy plans directly from the app, but Apple rejected it. Apple did this even though the European Union had just fined it nearly $2 billion for “blocking” alternative music apps. The EU is also investigating Apple, Meta and Google for favoring themselves and charging developers extra fees. As for how Apple will react to Spotify’s latest test, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Update, April 25, 2024, 8:45 a.m. ET: Apple rejected the Spotify update. “Apple has once again defied the European Commission’s ruling, rejecting our update for trying to communicate with customers about our prices unless we pay a new tax to Apple. Their disregard for users and developers is matched only by their disregard for the law,” a Spotify spokesperson said Engadget.