Apple Finally Lets Spotify Show Pricing Information to EU Users on iOS

After much negotiation earlier this year, Spotify on Wednesday said it had received permission from Apple to display pricing information on its iOS app for users in the EU. The company is not opting into Apple’s new business rules under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, but rather is using new antitrust guidelines imposed by the EU specifically for music streaming apps.

Apple was fined 1.84 billion euros (nearly $2 billion) by European regulators in March for violating antitrust rules in the market. Spotify and Apple have also clashed over an update to the Spotify app that would allow the streaming music service to share pricing information with EU users.

Now, Spotify has announced that an update to its app has been approved and will now be able to display prices for Spotify subscriptions and digital goods, among other things, including its recently added audiobook collection.

The latter option lets you view prices for subscription plans that include streaming audiobooks, as well as “filler hours” for users who want to finish listening to audiobooks, and prices for a la carte audiobooks.

However, Spotify will not be able to link to its website because that would require the company to pay Apple a 27% commission on those sales, which the company does not intend to do. Instead, text in the app will only be able to send users to the Spotify website, without providing a domain name or .com address. Spotify said Apple will not allow the text “spotify.com” to be included, even if it is not a hyperlink, to avoid paying a commission.

In addition to sharing pricing information, Spotify will launch a promotion in the EU to encourage users to upgrade their subscription plans via its website, information that has previously been seamlessly displayed on Android.

Spotify says its current promotion will involve offering the first three months of the service for free before the subscription period begins.

The move is a small step toward Spotify’s plan to serve its own customers through its own commission-free payments platform, but the streamer intends to continue fighting for what it really wants: a way to connect its iOS app to its website to make purchases without paying Apple a commission.

“While this is progress, it’s just a small step in a long march toward providing iPhone users with the core product experiences they expect and deserve in their apps — experiences that users of other phones already enjoy,” the company wrote in a blog post announcing the changes. “Unfortunately, Spotify and all streaming music services in the EU are still unable to freely give consumers the ability to simply click a link to make an in-app purchase because of the illegal and predatory taxes that Apple continues to demand, despite the Commission’s ruling,” it said.