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Spotify submitted an iPhone app update to Apple on May 1, 2025, that let U.S. users see subscription pricing and promotions and follow links to Spotify’s website to subscribe or change plans. Spotify reported Apple approved the update on May 2. A later update, on May 19, added details about individual audiobook purchases and extra listening hours.

What changed in Spotify’s iPhone app update?

In its May 1, 2025 announcement, Spotify said the updated U.S. iPhone app would show subscription and promotional prices and link users to Spotify’s website to buy Premium or switch among Individual, Student, Duo, and Family plans. Spotify said other payment options were available on its website.

This was a way to view prices and reach Spotify’s purchase options from the app; it was not a claim that purchases would be processed inside the iPhone app. Spotify did not specify a current Premium price in the announcement, so no price is included here.

When was the update submitted and approved?

Date What happened
April 30, 2025 Spotify said a U.S. federal judge issued an order concerning Apple’s conduct and a 2021 injunction. Spotify characterized the finding as a “willful violation”; that wording is Spotify’s description, not a quotation independently verified here against the court order.
May 1, 2025 Spotify said it submitted the iPhone app update to Apple.
May 2, 2025 Spotify updated its announcement to say Apple had approved the update.
May 19, 2025 Spotify added information about individual audiobook purchases and buying additional listening hours.

Submission and approval were separate steps: Spotify’s May 1 announcement did not mean the update was already approved. Spotify’s post reports the approval the following day.

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Can I subscribe to Spotify Premium from my iPhone?

Spotify said U.S. users could see prices and use links in the app to buy Premium or change plans through Spotify’s website. The announcement described web purchase links and other payment options there, rather than an in-app checkout method. It does not establish which app version or exact rollout every user, device, or storefront received, or whether the same options are available in other countries.

What did Spotify add for audiobooks?

In its May 19 update, Spotify said U.S. listeners could buy individual audiobooks and purchase “Top Up” listening hours beyond the 15 audiobook listening hours included with Premium each month. These audiobook options were a later addition to Spotify’s announcement, not part of the May 1 submission description.

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Why did Spotify make the change?

Spotify presented the U.S. update in the context of the April 30, 2025 court order concerning Apple and the 2021 injunction. Its account linked the ruling to its ability to show prices and direct users to purchase options. That is Spotify’s explanation of the legal backdrop; the announcement is not the court order itself.

The dispute has a longer history. A 2024 European Commission hearing officer’s report records that Spotify filed a formal complaint in March 2019, alleging Apple prevented it from advertising Premium and cheaper subscriptions to iOS users. The report records Spotify’s allegation; that passage should not be read as a finding by the hearing officer.

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How does the U.S. update differ from Apple’s EU payment terms?

The Spotify changes described above concern the U.S. iPhone app in May 2025. They should not be conflated with Apple’s later EU terms. Apple says its updated EU terms took effect October 1, 2026, allowing apps in EU storefronts to offer alternative payment options alongside Apple In-App Purchase, subject to Apple’s terms, presentation rules, and reporting obligations.

EU payment approach under Apple’s announced terms Apple’s stated commission Qualification
App Store app using Apple In-App Purchase 26%; listed reduced-rate cases at 15% Rates announced by Apple for its updated EU terms; eligibility determines whether a reduced rate applies.
Alternative in-app payment processing 20%; listed reduced-rate cases at 10% Rates announced by Apple for its updated EU terms; eligibility and applicable terms matter.
App Store app linking out to complete a purchase 15%; listed reduced-rate cases at 10% Rates announced by Apple for its updated EU terms; eligibility and applicable terms matter.
App distributed through alternative app marketplaces or the web 5% Core Technology Commission on specified digital transactions Applies to specified transactions under Apple’s EU terms, not to every App Store transaction.

These are Apple’s announced EU rates, not rates for the May 2025 U.S. Spotify update or a universal charge on every developer. Apple also says developers must keep selected payment options in place for 12 months and meet child-safety requirements. Its EU developer guidance describes the terms and reporting requirements; Apple’s August 18, 2026 announcement sets out the headline rates.

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What did Apple say about Spotify’s position?

Apple’s March 4, 2024 statement offered its own advocacy framing of the dispute. Apple said Spotify held 56 percent of Europe’s music-streaming market and cited nearly 160 million European digital music subscribers in the prior year, compared with 25 million in 2015. These are figures Apple published, not independently verified neutral market estimates.

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