Apple Allows Spotify to Show Pricing Info to EU Users in iPhone App

Spotify says it has received approval from Apple to display pricing information in its iOS app for users in the European Union, following its years-long legal struggle with the company.

Apple vs Spotify feature2
Spotify says that from Wednesday, iPhone users in the EU will be informed of pricing information in the app and the fact that they can go to the company's website to purchase items directly.

"EU iPhone consumers will now benefit from seeing our end of summer promotional pricing," said Spotify in an updated blog post. "They'll also finally be able to see how much a Premium plan of their choosing costs once the promotion ends."

The music streamer is not opting into Apple's complicated new business rules under the Digital Markets Act, but is instead taking advantage of Apple's "entitlement" for music streaming services – a result of the European Commission's decision on March 4 which found that Apple violated the EU's antitrust laws and fined them over €1.8 billion.

Spotify is still not giving users a link to click to make purchases from outside of the App Store, which it could have done under the entitlement terms, but it presumably does not want to give Apple a cut of any off-platform sales, which Apple would likely argue is a reflection of the value the App Store provides.

"Unfortunately, Spotify and all music streaming services in the EU are still not able to freely give consumers a simple opportunity to click a link to purchase in app because of the illegal and predatory taxes Apple continues to demand, despite the Commission's ruling.

"The fight continues. iPhone consumers everywhere deserve basic information about how much things cost, when they can take advantage of great deals and promotions, and where to go to buy those things online. If the European Commission properly enforces its decision, iPhone consumers could see even more wins, like lower cost payment options and better product experiences in the app."

Spotify has been in a legal spat with Apple in the EU since 2019, when it filed an antitrust complaint over App Store rules. As recently as March Spotify complained to the Commission that Apple was failing to approve a Spotify update that adds information on subscription pricing and links its website.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
iphone 17 cyber

iPhone 17 Demand Is Breaking Apple's Sales Records

Tuesday December 2, 2025 9:44 am PST by
Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is selling well enough that Apple is on track to ship more than 247.4 million total iPhones in 2025, according to a new report from IDC. Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple. Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to...
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Touchscreen MacBook Feature

Here Are the Four MacBooks Apple Is Expected to Launch Next Year

Monday December 1, 2025 5:00 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
chatgpt logo

Sam Altman Declares 'Code Red' for ChatGPT, Delays OpenAI Advertising Plans

Tuesday December 2, 2025 3:30 pm PST by
OpenAI is deprioritizing work on advertising as it focuses on improving the quality of ChatGPT, reports The Information. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared a "code red" on Monday, and told employees that the company needs to improve ChatGPT so it doesn't fall behind competitors like Google and Anthropic. Altman said that OpenAI needs to work on personalization for each user, image generation,...

Top Rated Comments

sehns Avatar
17 months ago
The 30% tax is incredibly hostile especially to apps that have a built in cost licensing they have to pay. We developed a therapy app and Apple made us pay the 30% despite real humans having to respond which also had to be paid. In the end after paying our therapists Apple made more profit than we did, so we killed the business.

The tax really only makes sense when its for software alone, not licensed content (netflix, kindle, spotify) or services (human labor/time)

We'd even be happy to use Apple Pay and cut them in for the merchant processing, but for many apps business models 30% is just egregious and unfair.

I bet many game developers pay so much on marketing/advertising that apple also makes more from their 30% than the devs do.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sehns Avatar
17 months ago

Apple is not anti steering. They simply aren’t wanting corporations to use their access to customers to market their product.

Same way you don’t go into Wendy’s advertising McDonalds.
99.9% of apps have to go out and get their own customers. They have to market, pay for PR, run ads. Only a very small group of successful apps get free advertising from apple on the app store. It's not Apple that is bringing in the customer, it's the developer. The customer just happens to be using Apples platform. If you had your own app business, you'd understand. They have to invest all the work building the product, marketing the product, and Apple gets to freeload like a landlord. Often after all the expenses Apple typically makes more margin than the dev does. It would be like paying the IRS 30% tax off your gross business profit without being able to make any expense deductions. Absolutely absurd.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MilaM Avatar
17 months ago
Apple will change, one huge fine at a time. But apparently it's still more profitable to drag this out. I'm wondering though if this kind of behavior will cost Apple even more credibility in the developer community. Only time will tell.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
17 months ago

Imagine if Microsoft told the world that everything running on Windows required a 30% fee from now on.
Imagine if they had told Apple in 2003 that they had to pay 30% cut of iTunes sales on Windows.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neuropsychguy Avatar
17 months ago
"Spotify is still not able to let users click a lick to make purchases from outside the App Store"

Clicking a lick? Sounds moist. ;)

Edit: 3 hours later and the typo isn't fixed. I think it should be kept at this point.

2nd edit: Just for fun, got it archived ('https://web.archive.org/web/20240814141558/https://www.macrumors.com/2024/08/14/apple-allows-spotify-show-pricing-eu-app/'). ?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
atoqir Avatar
17 months ago
All these people defending Apple because they 'made the platform'.

If you follow the same logic brands like Samsung, Sony, LG and many others also should get 30 percent of every subscription people use on their TV. Because the OS on the TV is their platform and if I sub to Apple TV+ or Netflix 30 percent should go to the brand manufacturer. They use the TV API's WebOS, Tizen etc. so they must pay up for all the value provided and getting access to the Samsung/LG/Sony/... customer base. Of course nobody would be okay with such things, unless it is about Apple for some reason.

Also most apps would use the web browser if they could have a good app experience like that but Apple actively doesn't innovate much there so that it will always be the inferior option.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)