On Friday, Spotify announced that Apple had approved an update following a directive from a U.S. federal judge instructing the technology company to cease levying commissions on transactions conducted within applications, with potential criminal contempt measures looming as a possibility.
The music application swiftly rolled out an update on Thursday, enabling users to view price details, get purchase links, and enjoy additional payment choices, as mentioned in a blog post by the company.
Following almost ten years, this will at last enable us to openly display transparent pricing details and links to buy, promoting openness and options for American customers,” Spotify stated, referring to it as a “win for consumers, musicians, content creators, and writers.
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“There is more work to do, but today represents a significant milestone for developers and entrepreneurs everywhere who want to build and compete on a more level playing field.”
Spotify users will have the option to buy a subscription, enhance or modify their plan directly within the music application, without needing to visit an outside site. According to the blog post, this update also allows customers to utilize alternative payment methods beyond those provided by Apple’s system.
The approval follows Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ decision on Wednesday that Apple deliberately breached a 2021 restraining order stemming from the lawsuit with Epic Games, consequently holding the company in contempt of court.
Apple’s finance VP, Alex Roman, “deliberately misled” the court regarding the 27% commission fee on specific transactions tied to the App Store, according to Rogers.
She instructed Apple to cease levying commissions on transactions conducted via links within iPhone applications. She also mentioned that she had referred the issue to U.S. prosecutors for them to determine if they should initiate criminal contempt proceedings against Roman and the corporation.
Apple stated that it will adhere to Rogers’ choice; however, they “firmly” disagree with the decision and plan to challenge it through an appeal.
In a ruling from the 2021 Epic Games case that was later challenged in 2023, Judge Rogers mandated Apple to alter its app store policies—permitting developers to include links directing users to their personal websites within iOS applications. This change enables consumers to complete transactions without going through the Apple ecosystem.
According to the initial decision, Apple was anticipated not to impose commissions on purchases made outside of the app, as per Rogers’ statement.
However, in 2024, Apple implemented a new policy allowing them to take a 27% commission from certain purchases, which is just slightly lower than the 30% they charge for in-app transactions.
Rogers wrote that Apple chose “the most anticompetitive option” at every turn for all of its purchase-linking policies.
Epic Games also won a suit against the Google Play store in 2024, when a federal judge ordered the company to allow alternative app stores on devices.