Spotify complains that Apple is ignoring its submission to bring subscription pricing info into its app

In an email to the European Commission obtained by The Verge, Spotify writes that Apple has “neither acknowledged nor responded to Spotify’s submission” to bring subscription pricing information into the app, preventing it from updating the app at all for its users, even to put out fixes for bugs or add other features.

On March 4, Spotify submitted an update to Apple that puts links to Spotify’s website, along with pricing information for different subscription options, directly in the EU version of its app, without using Apple’s payment system. Spotify made the change in response to a ruling issued the day March by the European Commission, which said Apple’s anti-steering rules are “illegal” and ordered Apple to start allowing developers to include information about “alternative and cheaper music subscription services.”

Apple responded on March 5. In a press release, Apple says the decision was reached despite the Commission’s failure to uncover any credible evidence of consumer harm, and ignores the realities of a market that is thriving, competitive, and growing fast. From the release:

The primary advocate for this decision — and the biggest beneficiary — is Spotify, a company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Spotify has the largest music streaming app in the world, and has met with the European Commission more than 65 times during this investigation.

Today, Spotify has a 56 percent share of Europe’s music streaming market — more than double their closest competitor’s — and pays Apple nothing for the services that have helped make them one of the most recognizable brands in the world. A large part of their success is due to the App Store, along with all the tools and technology that Spotify uses to build, update, and share their app with Apple users around the world.

We’re proud to play a key role supporting Spotify’s success — as we have for developers of all sizes, from the App Store’s earliest days.

Read the entire press release for details.

However, “It’s been nine days now and we’re still waiting to hear from Apple about our app submission to show EU consumers pricing and a link to our website, which we are now authorized to do by the European Commission’s decision on the music streaming case,” Spotify spokesperson Jeanne Moran says in an emailed statement to The Verge. “Apple’s delay directly conflicts with their claim that they turn around reviews on app submissions within 24 hours, and it also flies in the face of the timeline for adoption the Commission laid out.”