Spotify Refutes In-App Purchase Rumors: Users Still Required to Purchase Through App Store
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Spotify Denies Rumors of Allowing In-App Purchases on Apple App Store
A rumor started swirling that Spotify was going to start accepting subscriptions via the App Store once again. Speculation began after code strings mentioning in-app purchases were discovered in the Spotify app. However, the company has denied that it is planning to allow iOS users to subscribe to the music streamer directly from the App Store.
Farshad Shadloo, Spotify’s global head of corporate and policy communications, told The Verge, “We have no plans to switch IAP (in-app payments) on at the moment.” This means that iPhone and iPad users looking to subscribe to Spotify’s Premium service need to go to the music streamer’s website to subscribe.
Prior to this, subscribers to Spotify’s Premium tier were allowed to decide whether they would make their subscription payments via the App Store, but this summer, Spotify put an end to these grandfathered subscribers. These subscribers were no longer accepted by the company as a form of payment.
The dispute between Spotify and Apple stems from the “Apple Tax,” which is the percentage cut Apple takes from developers by processing in-app purchases. Spotify has been vocal in its opposition to this practice. After Spotify complained to the European Union about the Apple Tax in 2019, Apple said it was only taking a 15% cut on a specific number of Spotify’s worldwide premium subscribers.
Despite the speculation, it appears that Spotify will continue to direct subscribers away from Apple’s in-app platform so that it can keep 100% of every dollar it receives from iPhone and iPad users. This decision is likely to impact the experience of Spotify users on Apple devices.