Apple has given the green light to an update for Spotify’s iPhone app, making it the first major application to offer US users direct links for purchasing plans from an external site, without restrictions. This change comes as a result of a ruling in its ongoing legal dispute with Epic Games, prompting Apple to revise their external payment policies. The updated version, 9.0.40, is currently being released on the App Store.
“This is a win for consumers, artists, creators, and authors,” said Spotify spokesperson Jeanne Moran in a statement to The Verge. “After nearly ten years, this update allows us to transparently share pricing and links to purchase options, enhancing consumer choice in the U.S. Now we can offer consumers better pricing, increased control, and simpler access to Spotify.”
Spotify submitted this app update to Apple’s App Store yesterday, marking a significant test of Apple’s newly amended regulations. The latest version features information on promotional pricing and subscription plans available on Spotify’s website, where transactions will no longer incur Apple’s 30 percent commission on in-app payments. If the new features aren’t visible yet, Moran mentioned that “it might take some time” for them to appear on all devices, even with the most up-to-date version installed.
Previously, Apple enforced stringent limitations on how developers could promote and link to external payment methods, prohibiting buttons or any mention of better pricing outside the app, along with imposing a 27 percent transaction fee on external payments. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers recently intervened, instructing Apple to eliminate all associated fees, design limitations, and “intimidating” messaging regarding external payment processes.
As a prominent critic of Apple’s payment policies, Spotify has consistently voiced its concerns, with Moran previously remarking that the “unreasonable” external payment policy contradicts the court’s efforts to promote more competition and consumer choice.
