[ad_1]
Spotify said that if it bypassed the Apple payment system, Apple applied a series of "technical restrictions and limiting the experience on Spotify", limiting for example the contacts with customers and their scope. He notes that over time, the company has also blocked Spotify and other streaming services from Siri's competitors, Apple's HomePod and Apple Watch.
Some developers believe that the fees are Is it worth it, however. Apple checks applications to limit fraud, which takes a lot of time. It also handles monetary and fiscal issues, digital rights management, user privacy, and more.
Meanwhile, Netflix has completely eliminated in-app subscriptions on Apple hardware. In this way, it can pocket the entire product of iOS customers, even if it could lead to the loss of some customers using Apple devices. Unlike Netflix, however, Spotify is primarily used on mobile, so the company may have felt that it could not follow this path.
Spotify tries to convince not only the European regulators but also the general public. As such, he released a video detailing his claim (above) and launched a comprehensive website called "A Scenario: How We Got Here".
The company insists that it just wants to benefit from the same treatment as other App Store apps such as Uber and Deliveroo, "which are not subject to Apple tax and are therefore not subject to the same restrictions ". He asked that:
- First, the apps should be able to compete fairly on the merits, not according to the owner of the App Store. We should all be subject to the same rules and restrictions, including Apple Music.
- Secondly, consumers should have a real choice of payment systems and not be "stuck" or forced to use systems with discriminatory tariffs such as those of Apple.
- Finally, application stores should not be allowed to control communications between departments and users, including unfair restrictions on marketing and promotions for consumers.
This is not the first time that Spotify and other streaming services oppose Apple's 30% charge for in-app purchases. When Apple Music was first launched in 2015, Spotify urged users to suspend subscription renewals via iTunes and do it directly through Spotify.com, in order to save $ 3 per month. In 2011, Napster (then Rhapsody) argued that the fees were untenable for its streaming activities.
More recently, Spotify and Deezer have called on the EU to enforce rules protecting application developers to prevent technology giants like Apple from taking control of their markets continuously. Now it has to go to the next level by filing a formal complaint. "After unsuccessfully trying to resolve the issues directly with Apple, we are now asking the EC to take steps to ensure fair competition," wrote Ek.
[ad_2]
Source link