Spotify App Not Coming to Apple TV 'Anytime Soon'

A conversation thread on Github between a few developers and Spotify project leader Samuel Erdtman has confirmed that the streaming music company isn't looking into developing an app for Apple's fourth-generation Apple TV "anytime soon" (via AppAdvice).

In the thread, which began as a feature request for the Spotify SDK to support tvOS, Erdtman eventually closed out the comments saying that building support for Spotify on Apple TV has been "down prioritized." That might not be an official confirmation that Spotify will never arrive on Apple's set-top box, but Erdtman's wording hints that it's far from Spotify's top priority at the moment.

spotify-apple-tv

To support tvOS has been down prioritized, You should not expect a release supporting it any time soon. I'm sorry about that.

Although Spotify users might like to take advantage of a tvOS app for Spotify, it's not entirely surprising that the two companies may never reach an agreement on how such an experience would work. Over the summer, Spotify and Apple quarreled over the 30 percent cut that Apple now takes from iOS App Store subscriptions, which has caused Spotify to charge $12.99 for subscriptions purchased through the App Store, a $3 premium over subscriptions purchased on the web and $3 more than the price of Apple Music.

Spotify claimed Apple was using such a tactic as a "weapon to harm competitors," while Apple accused Spotify of "resorting to rumors and half-truths" to gain public opinion in its favor. Apple's new music royalty proposal for streaming services also adversely affects the free tiers of companies like Spotify and YouTube.

A potential Spotify tvOS app would likely be a free download users could use as a companion app to stream their music, but with so much bad blood between the two companies, it still seems likely that Spotify will simply avoid creating an app for tvOS at all. Amazon is also refraining from launching an Amazon Prime Video app on Apple TV, reportedly until Apple presents it with "acceptable business terms."

For Spotify users frustrated with the news, Apple's AirPlay feature can still be used to stream music from Spotify on an iPhone or iPad through a connected Apple TV.

Update: As several readers have pointed out, Erdtman's comment pertains specifically to the SDK that allows third-party developers to incorporate Spotify functionality into their apps. Spotify is apparently not prioritizing Apple TV support for that SDK, but that does not necessarily mean the company has no plans for an Apple TV app of its own.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: Spotify
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases Firmware Updates for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday November 11, 2024 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released firmware updates for both AirPods 4 models (version number 7B20) and the AirPods Pro 2 with both Lightning and USB-C charging cases (version number 7B21). All of these AirPods models were previously on firmware version 7B19. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in firmware versions 7B20 and 7B21, but we will update this story if we find...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 Camera Modules to Enter Mass Production Next Month

Tuesday November 12, 2024 2:56 am PST by
Apple's camera module supplier for the upcoming iPhone SE 4 is set to begin mass production of the components in December, according to a new report coming out of Korea. Economic newspaper Ajunews reports that LG Innotek will supply the front camera module for the budget-friendly fourth-generation device. Final tests are now said to be underway, with mass production of the module following...
airpods pro spring blue

Apple Customers Sue Over Unfixed AirPods Pro Crackling Issue

Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:01 am PST by
A trio of Apple customers this month filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, accusing the Cupertino company of violating California consumer protection laws and false advertising for continuing to sell AirPods Pro models that had ongoing issues with crackling or static sounds. A few months after the AirPods Pro came out in October 2019, buyers began to complain about crackling, rattling, ...
iPad iOS 16 WP Display Feature eric edit

Apple to Launch AI-Powered Home 'Command Center' as Soon as March 2025

Tuesday November 12, 2024 1:09 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch an AI-powered smart home display as soon as March 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The display will measure in at approximately six inches, and while it is similar to an iPad, it is square rather than rectangular and it has thick bezels around the edges. There is a camera at the top front so that it can be used for FaceTime, plus there are internal speakers...
new mac holiday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Monday November 11, 2024 7:45 am PST by
Black Friday is getting closer, and prices on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac mini computers have started to drop as the shopping holiday nears. These deals include the latest models of the M4 MacBook Pro and iMac. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site...
maxresdefault

M4 Max MacBook Pro: Real-World Usage Tests

Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:59 am PST by
Apple last week replaced the M3 Max MacBook Pro with the new M4 Max MacBook Pro, and we picked up one of the new high-end MacBook Pro machines to see how it compares to the prior model with both benchmarks and real-world tests. We tested an M4 Max with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and 48GB RAM against an M3 Max MacBook Pro with similar specs. The two machines look similar, but the display on...
iOS 18

Here's Everything New in iOS 18.2 Beta 3

Monday November 11, 2024 4:53 pm PST by
Apple seeded the third betas of iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 to developers for testing today. While the third betas of each update are minor relative to the first two betas, there are still a handful of changes across the Photos app, TV app, and more. A corresponding iOS 18.2 public beta with these changes will likely be released later this week, and Apple previously confirmed that the software...
final cut pro magnetic mask

Apple Releases Final Cut Pro 11 for Mac

Wednesday November 13, 2024 3:02 pm PST by
Apple today announced the launch of major updates for its Final Cut Pro video editing software designed for Macs and iPads. Final Cut Pro has been version 10 since 2011, but after 13 years, Apple is finally ready to debut Final Cut Pro 11. Apple first teased a new version of Final Cut Pro when introducing the new M4 Macs in October, and now the updated software is available for download with ...

Top Rated Comments

Sleepy8686 Avatar
105 months ago
Why do people want to LISTEN to music on a TV? I prefer to do it on a good set of speaker designed for the job. Currently it is on Sonos speakers. Not the best, but for the price and functionality, it was the best I could find when I bought them. I would like to get Amazon Prime Video on the Apple TV, as that might get me to cut Netflix out.
Because the TV is typically connected to your main sound system?????
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2010mini Avatar
105 months ago
This is a stupid move for Spotify. Devs with less resources have created tvOS apps and Spotify has to "down prioritize" this???? Stupid.

Hey Spotify.... learn from Netflix.... get your app on every device available. It pays off.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
infinitejest Avatar
105 months ago
No surprise...
[doublepost=1476805208][/doublepost]
Spotify is a streaming music company.

Spotify focuses on streaming music.

Apple is a computer hardware company.

Apple focuses on emojis.

See where things are going wrong? Just look at the development and UI of Spotify compared to Apple Music.
This is such an incredibly stupid comment.
Here's your hardware by the way: https://buyersguide.macrumors.com
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nr123*123 Avatar
105 months ago
Spotify is a streaming music company.

Spotify focuses on streaming music.

Apple is a computer hardware company.

Apple focuses on emojis.

See where things are going wrong? Just look at the development and UI of Spotify compared to Apple Music.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yanksfan114 Avatar
105 months ago
How about instead of being bitter at competitors you build the best service for your customers? Spotify is just giving other streaming services a bigger edge by abstaining from platforms.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdillings Avatar
105 months ago
I'm not surprised. This poorly thought out strategy has been taken by other companies that compete with Apple like Amazon and Vudu. These companies think they are punishing Apple and making their company stronger by not making apps but in reality they're digging their own grave as users will switch to Apple or another company's service that is supported on Apple devices. This strategy only works when the company is not the market leader but Apple is clearly the leader.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)