Spotify is demanding further concessions from Apple in the App Store
In the course of the past week, some digital service providers could breathe a sigh of relief and win a small victory. Because Apple, which previously only allowed payments via its own infrastructure, announced that it would also allow linking to other payment services from next year.
The previous approach caused displeasure in many places, at the same time Spotify sued the company because Apple was able to position itself better in the market at the expense of the competition. A subscription for the music service costs over 10 euros on iOS devices, but of course you can’t keep up with Apple Music (for 9.99 euros). One reason why Spotify only talks about a small win.
Because the European streaming service continues to fight as a founding member of the coalition for app fairness against the business conduct of Apple. In addition to Spotify, Epic is also represented in the coalition, another company that is currently squabbling with the Californian manufacturer. Because even if some apps will be able to receive their money in other ways from next year, this is by no means the case for all providers.
Therefore, an overview of the demands of the coalition mentioned above does not look any different than it was before the announcement. Only the second point, which requires free and indefinite communication, was given an asterisk with a note. Horacio Gutierrez – Head of Justice at Spotify – praises Apple, but finally calls for fair cooperation.
This is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t solve the problem. App developers want clear, fair rules that apply to all apps. Our goal is to restore competition once and for all, not one arbitrary, self-serving step at a time. We will continue to push for a real solution https://t.co/vzIoBpZQr1
– Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) September 2, 2021
The battle for the app market is therefore far from over and it will be a few more compromises, legal disputes and years before all points of the initiative are met. Nevertheless, it turns out that a system that has lasted for years is slowly turning for the better. Now Apple just has to play along in the long term.
Own opinion:
The big Google and Apple app stores have to become more transparent and open, which is necessary so that everyone can benefit from the sale or licensing of small programs. I think Apple should strive for further relaxation here, after all, the past has shown how well the company earns from apps, money that is actually due to the developers of applications. It will be exciting to see how this will change in the coming decade.
Via 9To5 Mac
