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Spotify, the popular streaming music service, is cutting ties with Apple’s App Store as a payment platform for its customers. According to Variety, Spotify has started informing subscribers who currently pay for their Spotify Premium subscription through the App Store that they will need to make changes in order to continue their service.
It’s worth noting that Spotify has not allowed new customers to sign up for its premium subscription through the App Store for the past seven years. The availability of App Store Spotify subscriptions was limited to a brief two-year period between 2014 and 2016. However, some long-time subscribers have continued to pay for their Spotify subscription through Apple’s platform since then.
Spotify has now taken the step of sending emails to these customers, notifying them that it will no longer accept Apple’s billing service as a form of payment. The transition will take place at the end of the final billing period, at which point the affected Spotify customers will have their accounts switched to the free ad-supported version of the service. In order to regain access to Spotify Premium, these customers will need to resubscribe using the Spotify website.
One important reason for this change is Spotify’s desire to avoid paying Apple’s fees. Spotify’s website has been the sole platform for new subscriptions, as the company has intentionally restricted sign-ups through the App Store. This move allows Spotify to bypass the 15 percent cut that Apple has been taking from subscriptions facilitated through its App Store.
The impact of this change is expected to be minimal, considering that Spotify has already disallowed App Store sign-ups for several years. The majority of Spotify customers have been signing up directly through the Spotify website to avoid Apple’s fees. Nevertheless, for the remaining customers who have been relying on the App Store for their payments, this transition marks a shift in their subscription management.
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The move to sever ties with Apple’s billing service underlines Spotify’s ongoing efforts to establish itself as an independent entity in the highly competitive music streaming market. By circumventing the App Store and its associated fees, Spotify aims to maximize its revenue and provide a seamless payment experience to its subscribers.
Although the discontinuation of App Store payments may inconvenience a small subset of users, Spotify remains committed to providing its customers with a seamless and uninterrupted music streaming experience.