Spotify has laid its case against Apple’s in-app payments in a new website detailing what it tried to do when introducing audioboooks into the Spotify app without having to pay Apple a 30% in-app purchase fee.
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Spotify came out swinging against Apple today, detailing all the ways it says Apple forces Spotify to deliver a bad user experience unless the company pays Apple a 30% App Store commission on all sales.
“We want to deliver a super awesome and easy user experience,” Spotify says on a new Time to Play Fair website. “But once again, Apple is standing in the way— this time, in addition to consumers being hurt, authors and publishers are also being punished.”
At issue is Apple’s stance on purchases made in an app, which Apple wants to be made via its built-in iOS purchasing system — not an app’s or brand’s own e-commerce capability. For that service, Apple wants a 30% share. This is, of course, the same problem Apple faced with Epic, makers of the incredibly popular Fortnite game that is no longer available on the App Store after being banned for allowing purchases that side-stepped Apple purchasing policies.