APPLE STATEMENT
March 14, 2019
Spotify claims we’re blocking their access to products and updates to their app.
- When we reached out to Spotify about Siri and AirPlay 2 support on several occasions, they’ve told us they’re working on it, and we stand ready to help them where we can.
- Spotify is deeply integrated into platforms like CarPlay, and they have access to the same app development tools and resources that any other developer has.
- We found Spotify’s claims about Apple Watch especially surprising. When Spotify submitted their Apple Watch app in September 2018, we reviewed and approved it with the same process and speed with which we would any other app. In fact, the Spotify Watch app is currently the No. 1 app in the Watch Music category.
Spotify wants all the benefits of a free app without being free.
- Apps that are free to you aren’t charged by Apple.
- Apps that earn revenue exclusively through advertising — like some of your favorite free games — aren’t charged by Apple.
- App business transactions where users sign up or purchase digital goods outside the app aren’t charged by Apple.
- Apps that sell physical goods — including ride-hailing and food delivery services, to name a few — aren’t charged by Apple.
- The majority of customers use their free, ad-supported product, which makes no contribution to the App Store.
- A significant portion of Spotify’s customers come through partnerships with mobile carriers. This generates no App Store contribution, but requires Spotify to pay a similar distribution fee to retailers and carriers.
- Even now, only a tiny fraction of their subscriptions fall under Apple’s revenue-sharing model. Spotify is asking for that number to be zero.