Apple Responds to Spotify

This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

Apple has responded to Spotify’s claim that they’ve been using their app store process “as a weapon.” You can read the full response below, and it’s definitely worth reading. It’s basically the most business way of saying: “Spotify, you’re full of shit” you’ll ever see.

Expand - View Original

 

Pwnt.

 

well someone got put back in place

 

Spotify "The fact that we have to give 30% of our subscription revenue to Apple if people sign up on their phones isn't very fair"

Apple "suck our dicks"

Apple fanboys "yay Apple we love the fact that you can use your monopoly to leverage your competing music streaming service more advantageously and are not at all concerned about the precedent it sets"

 

Woah.

 

Dangerous text here. You're in Apple-land now. FWIW I laughed and agree, but good luck with this.

 

It has nothing to do with promoting Apple Music over Spotify. Did you read a word of this?

 

Spotify should focus less on whining and more on creating a useable service.

 

This is clearly, 100%, about Apple using the fact that its owns the platform in order to leverage its own services on the platform ahead of others. Sure Apple's lawyers are going to spew some dumb bullshit "these are the rules for everyone" excuse, but 99% of apps in the store aren't competing against stuff Apple is selling.

Do you really think its reasonable and okay for Apple to tell Spotify "You can't refer to "premium features" in your app without providing a way to let users buy those features in a manner that gives us money"

 

I mean.... these are the rules for everyone. It's not bullshit, it's literally true. If Spotify doesn't like it, they should tell people not to subscribe via the iOS app.

Regardless, as I said, Spotify is a shitty service and should focus more energy on improving their platform rather than complaining about being "mistreated".

 

If Apple wanted to, they could make the "rules for everyone" "no one can make a competing music app". So saying "those are the rules for everyone" is not valid justification for whether or not Apple is in the right here.

 

Uh, okay, and they'd be within their right to do that too, but that's something that would be specifically directed at competing streaming services, while here Spotify is literally complaining about the rules that are in place for EVERY SINGLE APP. Don't be obtuse.

 

Uh, given EU courts ruled that Microsoft has to give users a choice of which browser they want when setting up their PC, I'm not sure if you can legally argue "they'd be within their right to do that", much less morally.

Like I said, there are very few other competing services that go head to head with a product Apple also sells. So the fact that the rules are in place for every app is rather irrelevant. The point is that those rules give Apple an unfair competitive advantage.

 

It wouldn't be the first time, Apple has done something shady. I would like to see information about what is going before I cement my view.

 

You're acting as if the only way to purchase Spotify Premium is through the iOS app. It's not.

 

Right. But Spotify can't tell people that from within the iOs app. I don't understand how you don't think that is a problem.

 

Try thinking harder.

 

That's not an answer. Try post better.

 

That's not a sentence...

For real though, I explained what I thought to the dude, and I still get a dumb response that basically amounts to "I don't understand why you don't agree with me."

 

No you did not. His point is that Spotify are not allowed to tell iOS users they can't tell users they can sign up on their website through the app. Why isn't that bad for consumers from a Spotify point of view?

 

I feel like it should be completely obvious to anyone that you can sign up in some way other than the iOS app. Beyond that, though, I don't see the point of complaining about these terms as they simply come with having your app in the App Store. Would Spotify really rather not have iOS users on its service than put up with this?

 

But it's not. Companies making apps have to make it to the lowest common denominator. Saying "well people should know" is no answer. People shouldn't have to know that. That's Spotify's point.

What's wrong with complaining? Apple won't throw them out for complaining, if they did the EU would come down hard. There is literally no downside to complaining to try get it changed. Do you have a compelling answer for why it's a bad thing for Spotify to complain other than "well I don't like it"?

 

No, but I never claimed to have a compelling reason why they shouldn't complain, just that it's annoying and their logic isn't very good.

And, for the third time, they should spend more time on making their service and app not suck.

 

I do. That's why I don't use Apple products that are dumbed down to the lowest common demonstrator

 

If that is what you got out of my posts, you really should read better