Spotify slams Apple's App Store 'concessions' as a distraction

App Store
App Store (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple recently settled a lawsuit against the company filed by the developers.
  • At the time it touted sweeping changes and concessions made in favor of developers.
  • Spotify says the changes "fail to address the most basic aspects of their anticompetitive and unfair App Store practices."

Spotify has slammed the terms of a settlement with developers made by Apple, stating the moves "fail to address the most basic aspects of their anticompetitive and unfair App Store practices."

It was previously announced by Apple that a lawsuit filed by developers against apple was settled, promising changes for developers Apple claims "will help make the App Store an even better business opportunity for developers, while maintaining the safe and trusted marketplace users love."

However, as numerous commenters have noted Apple has made minimal changes to its App Store. The only notable change is that henceforth Apple will allow developers to email customers sharing information about ways to pay for services outside of the App Store, providing users consent to the communication. The terms of the settlement have irked some developers, as has the fact that lawyers who helped broker the settlement will receive 30% of a $100 million fund set up to help developers.

Music giant Spotify says the changes "fail to address the most basic aspects of their anticompetitive and unfair App Store practices." In a statement, Spotify's Horacio Guiterrez said the move was Apple "attempting to distract policymakers and regulators and slow down the momentum that's building around the world to address their behavior." The statement continues "Apple has been allowed to abuse their dominant position for years, and we continue to seek real reforms to ensure that companies can innovate and compete fairly, on a level playing field.

The company further shared a breakdown of what it believes to be Apple's actual anticompetitive App Store practices, lending support for the Open App Markets App which could address these:

Spotify

Spotify (Image credit: Spotify)

Spotify has filed numerous complaints against Apple over its alleged anti-competitive practices in places such as the EU. The EU and U.S. recently discussed their mutual interest in pursuing antitrust legislation and regulating digital marketplaces.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9