There seems to be no end to how Apple App Store regulations continue to make app developers unhappy, time and time again. In an open letter sent to the EU Commission’s executive vice president, Spotify has joined forces with eight other streaming companies to deliver a message to the streaming giant. As part of their letter, the companies describe Apple as a harmful, anticompetitive, and monopolistic organization, and further request that Apple’s policies be regulated in an urgent manner.
Spotify, Deezer, Basecamp, Proton, EPC, Schibsted, France Digitale, and News Media Europe have signed the letter, which is signed by the CEOs of Spotify, Deezer, Basecamp, Proton, and EPC. Margrethe Vestager, the Executive Vice President of the European Commission, is the recipient of this letter in which she strongly urges the commission to provide a verdict on the investigation that Spotify previously initiated. It has been claimed that Apple’s flawed app distribution practices have prevented the companies from being able to operate effectively and grow as a result of Apple’s App Store. In addition to this, the letter states that the policies also negatively impact European citizens because of Apple’s high commissions for app developers and its restriction on their access to and use of user data (which can therefore be used to improve the user experience). In their letter, they cited the newly passed Digital Markets Act (DMA), and urged the EU Commission, on behalf of the welfare of European consumers, to act quickly to resolve this issue.
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It is not the first time that companies have raised their voices against Apple’s business practices. According to Spotify, a complaint was filed in April 2022, and as a result, the EU Commission launched an investigation into the matter in May 2022. In addition to the exorbitant commission rates on their applications, they also pointed out that the Apple App Store regulations “purposefully limit choice and stifle innovation that can enhance the user experience,” in addition to the limited choice and stifled innovation. As Spotify has also previously stated, Apple’s regulations create an unfair playing field in which Spotify has a difficult time competing against Apple Music due to the unfair regulations.
