According to the New York Times, Apple and Spotify are at odds again as Spotify tries to break into the audiobook market. Apple reportedly rejected Spotify’s latest app update three times last month. Over the years, Apple and Spotify have had a long-running dispute over Apple’s App Store policies, with multiple public clashes over app and subscription fees and apps rejected because of Spotify’s attempts to sidestep Apple’s up to 30 percent cut of purchases.
Apple says Spotify is again trying to circumvent its “App Store” rules, while Cupertino claims Spotify’s audiobook updates don’t meet guidelines for how apps communicate with users about purchase options outside of the “App Store.”
Apple last year agreed to an App Store rule change that would allow developers to use communication methods such as email to share information about payment options available outside of iOS apps, but Spotify ran into problems trying to implement the feature. With the rule change, Spotify wants to guide customers to buy books online and listen to them in the app, rather than giving Apple a cut of audiobook sales.
Apple apparently told Spotify that it could email customers about online purchases, but Spotify couldn’t provide a button inside the app to request an email. The feature was designed in conjunction with Spotify’s legal team, and Apple initially approved the update in September, but later changed course and rejected subsequent updates.
Spotify has designed a nine-step process for buying audiobooks, which involves customers clicking on an audiobook and seeing a screen locked to the play button. Pressing the play button presents the customer with a page where they can request information on how to purchase the book via email, and the email provides a link to purchase the book.
Apple has “no problem” with adding audiobook content to reader apps like Spotify, but Spotify doesn’t follow Apple’s guidelines for in-app communication that directs users outside of apps.
After multiple rejections by Apple, Spotify released a version of the app that removed information on how to buy audiobooks from the Spotify website, which Apple did approve. Spotify now informs users that there is no option to purchase audiobooks in the app. “We know this isn’t ideal,” Spotify said in the app text.
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