this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2024
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EU Commission fines Apple over €1.8 billion over abusive App store rules for music streaming providers (ec.europa.eu)
submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The European Commission has fined Apple over €1.8 billion for abusing its dominant position on the market for the distribution of music streaming apps to iPhone and iPad users (‘iOS users') through its App Store. In particular, the Commission found that Apple applied restrictions on app developers preventing them from informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app (‘anti-steering provisions'). This is illegal under EU antitrust rules.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I am wondering if it's really true, that Spotify pays nothing to Apple. If my information is correct every app provider needs to have at least one active Apple Developer subscription (in the case of Spotify there is probably far more than just one account involved). If it is true that Spotify pays nothing to Apple the only possibility is that Apple invited them to bring their app to iOS and granted them free access.

I know 99 USD is not what Apple is after, but it seems dishonest to not disclose this.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago (2 children)

They’re just bitter that Spotify is leading the market and not Apple Music and they crybaby because of that. They’ve been bullying Spotify from the beginning and there has been bad blood on both sides for years. Apple has not made it easy for Spotify, why would Spotify give them any more money? They could have worked together, allowing HomePod and Siri to control Spotify and other cross integrations then that would have maybe been a reason to share revenue. But that’s kinda like The Little Red Hen here.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (2 children)

That’s on Spotify, HomePods have been able to stream from other music services for years: https://screenrant.com/apple-homepod-supported-music-services-how-many/

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

It's very much not on Spotify. It supports services apple decided aren't competing with Apple Music. Look at all the things missing, as your article points out.

It's crazy how much bullshit Apple can pull, and even semi educated people will come to their defense blaming other people for apples failings.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

It supports services apple decided aren’t competing with Apple Music.

So, Apple's in the wrong because Spotify didn't add the Siri music API?

In 2020, Apple did a HomePod Siri music API, and some services, such as Pandora, have adopted it.
Unfortunately, Spotify, the biggest music streaming service, has still not implemented this

https://9to5mac.com/2023/09/21/ios-17-play-spotify-music-on-homepod/

It’s worth mentioning Apple has released a new API for music streaming apps allowing them to be controlled by Siri through a HomePod. However, Spotify, for whatever reason, has refused to implement the software into its app on iOS.

https://www.techradar.com/audio/speakers/apple-homepod-finally-gets-hands-free-spotify-thanks-to-this-ios-17-workaround

Like, I get it: the internet has a hate boner for Apple, and in a lot cases it's justified. But it's 100% on Spotify for this one.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

And coincidentally YouTube, Spotify, and Amazon Music, all of Apple Musics competition, just all happened to not implement this? All of Apples competition just decided to not add a pretty critical function to the people of that ecosystem? When they all do it in Google's?

Yeah, I don't buy that. At all. Sure the API might be there, but you know who gatekeeps those APIs? Apple. This smells a lot more like Apples fued with Google over turn by turn directions bullshit. Especially when we can see how blatantly hostile to Spotify Apple is willing to be.

It seems a lot more likely that Apple is holding that API over their heads and refusing to allow access to it, than it does that all their Apple Music competition just happens to have all conveniently forgotten to implement a pretty core feature in Apple's ecosystem, while remembering to do it in Googles.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Wait, you still can't use HomePod/Siri to control Spotify? How the fuck does this company continue to exist? Why do people put up with their fucking garbage?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The only service available on HomePod to voice command is AppleMusic. For Spotify, you can AirPlay from your phone’s app like a Bluetooth speaker but you can select a song by voice. Only play pause and volume and only when you have your phone available for that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Yeah, that's really really fucking stupid.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

I mean, in the sense of billions of dollars, having a few developer accounts is nothing. From apples side, they're making it sound like Spotify and others are pissed they can't charge users directly through apples apk store without paying a commission. That would be something to collapse the apple store, steam, and Google play store, if everyone just started going around helping to pay for the platform they want to sell on.