Spotify Complains That Apple Hasn't Approved Update With Subscription Pricing and Links in EU

[AppliedMicro]

So what’s the point again?

Who is this helping?

While this might not benefit @spazzcat, this may help other developers.
In the longer run, it might even benefit his/her visibility on Apple’s App Store.

We know it’s adding friction to getting an app installed so a few big companies might make more money.

If I can download an app from a website, it’s less friction than signing up with Apple.

so a few big companies might make more money.

Or make the same and provide cheaper apps. Or something in between.
Don’t forget that the biggest companies have the most popular apps and have the most consumers.

If prices are the same, has the consumer won?

Competitors to Apple at least leave room for lower prices.
Since it’s been proven that companies can handle payment and VAT processing for considerably less than 30%.

 

[surferfb]

In other news, here is another way this EU ridiculousness is impacting those who don't want it, via 9to5Mac:

What we are concerned about and what can also be read in the whitepaper is that the “costs” for an attack on iOS could decrease. That’s because of these new potential ways to attack users. This can be done via alternative marketplaces or alternative payment methods. It’s possible we’ll see attacks we’ve never seen before. The costs of developing an iOS exploit are still very high. Our team at the Security Lab is trying to make those costs higher and higher so that it isn’t worth it for attackers to target iOS.

 

[AppliedMicro]

The “cheaper” is conjecture. If I need to handle features that were formerly provided by the App Store

Hosting apps for download and payment processing don’t cost Epic, Spotify or Microsoft 30% of their revenue for their iOS services/apps.

or I just want to make more money, why would I sell my app or service for less?

You sell at a lower price and get more customers to (more than) make up for it.

👉 Why have Amazon or Walmart become so big?

Do you think that was because Bezos or Walton said “I just want to make more money, why would I sell my products for less?” all the time and steadfastly refused to lower consumer prices?

 

[GroovyCatticus]

Perhaps the features previously handled by the App Store can be handled much more cheaply elsewhere.

Also, was your question about benefits for consumers in general or just yourself? It seemed to be about consumers in general, which I outlined. If it was instead about in what ways will you personally benefit, I don’t really know, nor do I care frankly.

So consumers “in general” are really missing the vape & porn apps 👍🏼

EU to the rescue! Controlling that vape from an iPhone while whacking off is true freedom 😂

What other amazing apps are consumers missing?

As for the features being handled “much more cheaply elsewhere“ it’s possible. But do you honestly think a company will simply charge less? Highly unlikely!

Additionally, the friction of getting a consumer to download the store, provide info/card will end up losing you sales.

A whole lot of effort for…not much.

 

[GroovyCatticus]

You sell at a lower price and get more customers to (more than) make up for it.

Spotify is already free of App Store fees (minus the fraction of a percent that they’re kicking off App Store billing).

So why haven’t they lowered prices to get more customers? Oh that’s right, they already have the lowest price available (free).

That seems to be working out well for them!

So we get back to Epic — really the only “winner” in this whole mess. They get to sell your kids V-bucks on their own store.

Quite a win for the EU 🤔

 

[GroovyCatticus]

If I can download an app from a website, it’s less friction than signing up with Apple.

Not so if you have to pay them — you’ll need to surrender your info and CC to them.

Multiply this by every app you sideload that has in app purchase.

Versus one time Apple ID payment setup — this is very obvious stuff 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[kkee]

Apple acting like a petulant child these days..

Spotify acting like a petulant child these days.

it is a matter of perspective.

 

[bgillander]

The question here is that we don‘t see who is actually not a paid actor by Apple, thus it‘s hard to take some „opinions“ for real.

It‘s pretty obvious that everyone here critizising Apple likes Apple products in general or else they wouldn‘t refer to their beloved Mac systems.

Honestly, the logic of the Apple supporter being a "paid actor" on a site called MacRumors is far less likely than the logic that the ones constantly criticizing Apple are paid actors. I doubt any are, but your logic is just very backwards.

 

[AppliedMicro]

Not so if you have to pay them — you’ll need to surrender your info and CC to them

So...? Isn't Apple Pay supposedly making that easy for me?

Also, even 70+ year old family members of mine have discovered the convenience of PayPal.

 

[GroovyCatticus]

👉 Why have Amazon or Walmart become so big?

Amazon became big by removing the friction from shopping online. Price was competitive, but they “won” (at least for now) by being the most efficient at delivering quickly to your door.

Of course, they are ******ifying their own store with all the cheap Chinese goods and knockoffs, and other retailers are catching up to their delivery times. So we’ll see if they remain on top.

Walmart got big by hosing their own suppliers and forcing them to meet their pricing or get kicked out of their store. Now that’s an evil company!

 

[AppliedMicro]

So why haven’t they lowered prices to get more customers?

They'll try advertising subscriptions in-app first

So we get back to Epic — really the only “winner” in this whole mess. They get to sell your kids V-bucks on their own store.

It's absurd calling Epic the "only" winner, when non of us hasn't even seen what the DMA will enable?
Such a conclusion is wholly premature. Epic certainly won't be the only winners in this.

Setapp already announced an offering for iOS, too.

 

[GroovyCatticus]

So...? Isn't Apple Pay supposedly making that easy for me?

Also, even 70+ year old family members of mine have discovered the convenience of PayPal.

Goalposts keep on moving — you said it was “less friction” which it clearly isn’t!

Does everyone use Apple Pay or have a Pay Pal account?

It’s okay to admit the App Store is easier for consumers 😉

 

[AppliedMicro]

Walmart got big by hosing their own suppliers and forcing them to meet their pricing or get kicked out of their store. Now that’s an evil company!

...just as Apple is enforcing exclusivity on their own suppliers (developers) - or otherwise kick them out of their store.

"Wanna sell at Walmart? Have to play by their rules! They chose to agree to the deal and Walmart can choose not to renew. If you don't like, you're free to build your own hypermarket, instead of whining!"

I agree Apple's may be a bit less evil in comparison - but still pretty evil (not so much on commission rates but their anticompetitive stance towards links and developer-to-consumer communication).

 

[GroovyCatticus]

...just as Apple is enforcing exclusivity on their own suppliers (developers).

Ummm — not at all. There is no price requirement to sell on the App Store. There is also something called the Play Store.

So it’s not “just as” — developers choose iOS because it’s a lucrative market supported by…the App Store!

If there wasn’t an easy to use, frictionless App Store, the market wouldn’t be nearly as lucrative.

And now because it’s successful and lucrative, it’s somehow now a “gatekeeper” stifling the poor EU 🙄

 

[bgillander]

No one is saying you can't speak up for Apple. But it's rather strange to speak up for the one of the biggest corporations of the world. Do they really need defending?

You mean like Spotify? True.

And as an organization, I'm pretty sure the EU is big enough to take care of themselves, too.

I just get tired of all the misinformation from people that seem to be too young to remember what the phone software situation was before the App Store. Or the commision rates. Or the work involved in trying to promote and distribute your work. Or the cost of SDKs.

The problem is that many people seem to have the opinion that no matter what they have, they feel they are owed more for less. The iPhone is not an essential item, but if it is, someone needs to start a distribution plan for the needy of the world. Most of those would prefer food and water, but apparently we need to add iPhones, too.

Yeah, I'm sick of this thread and shouldn't be reading it, but unfortunately it is hard to turn away from a disaster zone, and social media knows and thrives on that, and is even more likely to be the end of society than AI.

 

[GroovyCatticus]

They'll try advertising subscriptions in-app first

Which is why there was a “rule” for reader apps not to do this — it’s basically free advertising on the back of the App Store.

This is Apple’s complaint, and it seems pretty valid 🤷🏻‍♂️

Seems like they’ve come up with a way to deal with monetizing the link out (some type of token that IDs a linked out purchase if done with 7 days). Not sure if this applies to EU/Spotify though.

 

[vipergts2207]

So consumers “in general” are really missing the vape & porn apps 👍🏼

EU to the rescue! Controlling that vape from an iPhone while whacking off is true freedom 😂

What other amazing apps are consumers missing?

As for the features being handled “much more cheaply elsewhere“ it’s possible. But do you honestly think a company will simply charge less? Highly unlikely!

Additionally, the friction of getting a consumer to download the store, provide info/card will end up losing you sales.

A whole lot of effort for…not much.

It doesn’t benefit you? That’s fine, it doesn’t have to. The law wasn’t written specifically for GroovyCatticus’ benefit nor to conform to your worldview.

 

[3530025]

You mean like Spotify? True.

No, I meant Apple and I'm pretty clear in that. I don't defend any corporation. I defend my rights and freedom of choice. Same can't be said about Apple defenders and apologists.

And as an organization, I'm pretty sure the EU is big enough to take care of themselves, too.

Of course. Again, I'm not defending the EU. I'm defending my rights which EU extends by the DMA. So you're wrong there. Maybe read my message again?

I just get tired of all the misinformation from people that seem to be too young to remember what the phone software situation was before the App Store. Or the commision rates. Or the work involved in trying to promote and distribute your work. Or the cost of SDKs.

Fortunately I'm not one of them. I remember when I could download and install .sis files from whatever source I wanted. And no organization (Apple) would censor what I can or can not install on my device.

Cost of the SDK? You mean what both Microsoft and Google offers for free? Oh and Nokia with its Symbian also gave developers for free. So yeah, its not standard to offer mobile platform's SDK for the Apple prices. (not talking about gaming consoles, that's separate category there)

So again, you're wrong. Maybe you're too young to remember? Or maybe you're not the developer yourself?

The problem is that many people seem to have the opinion that no matter what they have, they feel they are owed more for less. The iPhone is not an essential item, but if it is, someone needs to start a distribution plan for the needy of the world. Most of those would prefer food and water, but apparently we need to add iPhones, too.

What? That's just obvious argumentation failure right there. It's completely unrelated to the DMA.

Yeah, I'm sick of this thread and shouldn't be reading it, but unfortunately it is hard to turn away from a disaster zone, and social media knows and thrives on that, and is even more likely to be the end of society than AI.

If you're sick of it, just don't react. If you're not EU citizen - great news! It's not even affecting you as I already said in my previous post.

Yeah, I'm sick of people getting angry at DMA when it's not related to their country and when it's not affecting them at all. Just ignore it a live on. Easy as that. Instead you choose to get angry and reply to my post - pretty weird indeed.

 

[vipergts2207]

Not so if you have to pay them — you’ll need to surrender your info and CC to them.

Multiply this by every app you sideload that has in app purchase.

Versus one time Apple ID payment setup — this is very obvious stuff 🤷🏻‍♂️

Fortunately Apple Wallet and Apple Pay make it pretty convenient to pay for things outside of the App Store.

 

[3530025]

So consumers “in general” are really missing the vape & porn apps 👍🏼

That too, uncensored app store in general.

Who's Apple to decide what to censor and what not? Who are you to decide or judge what apps do we need or want?

Censorship by Apple - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[GroovyCatticus]

It doesn’t benefit you? That’s fine, it doesn’t have to. The law wasn’t written specifically for GroovyCatticus’ benefit not to conform to your worldview.

Who said I was asking for the law to “conform” to my worldview? You certainly seem to want it to conform to yours 😉

I was merely pointing out that a whole lot of effort has been expended for…not much.

I keep asking you to point out the “much” but all I see is…not much 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[vipergts2207]

Who said I was asking for the law to “conform” to my worldview? You certainly seem to want it to conform to yours 😉

I was merely pointing out that a whole lot of effort has been expended for…not much.

I keep asking you to point out the “much” but all I see is…not much 🤷🏻‍♂️

All in the eye of the beholder. Not much to you may be significant to someone else. Not to mention the law wasn’t solely for consumer benefit, but to ensure fairness in their market as well.

 

[GroovyCatticus]

That too, uncensored app store in general.

Who's Apple to decide what to censor and what not? Who are you to decide or judge what apps do we need or want?

Censorship by Apple - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

How about some examples (beyond vape & porn, already discussed) that you’re missing?

Sure, freedom to install whatever is cool, but I’m still wondering what it is you’re missing?

Are there any apps you think the EU or your county’s government would prohibit?

 

[vipergts2207]

How about some examples (beyond vape & porn, already discussed) that you’re missing?

That alone accounts for quite a bit of internet traffic actually.

• 25% of all search engine requests are pornography-related.
• Worldwide, pornography is a $97 billion industry.
• Approximately 30% of all data transferred across the internet is porn-related.
• 35% of all downloads from the internet are pornographic.

Porn Statistics Statistics: Market Data Report 2025

Our in-depth Market Data Report about Porn Statistics. Explore the latest data.

gitnux.org

 

[bgillander]

Cost of the SDK? You mean what both Microsoft and Google offers for free? Oh and Nokia with its Symbian also gave developers for free. So yeah, its not standard to offer mobile platform's SDK for the Apple prices. (not talking about gaming consoles, that's separate category there)

So again, you're wrong. Maybe you're too young to remember? Or maybe you're not the developer yourself?


What? That's just obvious argumentation failure right there. It's completely unrelated to the DMA.



If you're sick of it, just don't react. If you're not EU citizen - great news! It's not even affecting you as I already said in my previous post.

Yeah, I'm sick of people getting angry at DMA when it's not related to their country and when it's not affecting them at all. Just ignore it a live on. Easy as that. Instead you choose to get angry and reply to my post - pretty weird indeed.

Sorry, the second part wasn't aimed at you, it was just my rant on why someone who has no desire to defend Apple and actually finds many of their actions annoying, would end up posting what appears to be a pro Apple post, since your first part questioned why anyone would support a large organization that doesn't need it. Sort of like your post appears to support the EU. I doubt any of us are as black and white towards each other as these threads make us appear, which is what prompted the second, non DMA part.

As for Microsoft not charging for SDKs, I paid for the WinNT 3.1 SDK (which was pretty cheap, really) and VB, VC++, Visual J++, Visual Studio, which all cost me a fair chunk of change, so I expect I'm likely older than you, if you don't recall that. Again, things are better now, but no one is ever happy, which was my point.

And, sure, multiple articles on this story aren't really affecting me, and that was point about me needing to stop reading this, but it being hard to look away from this car crash. That said, regression testing is done for a reason, and I doubt this software change will not eventually have some effect on me, intentionally or not.

I didn't mean to aim anything specifically at you, but I made the mistake of checking this page of the thread and the first two posts were using some weird pretzel logic about how Apple fans are obviously biased and shouldn't be posting on an Apple based site, so I felt a need to respond... I wasn't angry, simply frustrated, and most of that frustration is aimed at social media and it's ability to best generate hits by fomenting conflict.

That said, this stuff is still annoying, so I hope to stop reading now and just go yell at some kids to get off my lawn. 😀