In a recent development, Spotify has decided to discontinue its support for Apple in-app payments for premium subscribers, Variety is reporting.
Since May 2016, new Spotify Premium users have been unable to pay for their subscription using in-app purchases through Apple’s App Store. The company has been critical of the so-called “tax” imposed by Apple on purchases made within its App Store.
Previously, from June 2014 to May 2016, Spotify Premium subscribers had the option to sign up and pay through Apple’s App Store.
However, the company has now decided to stop allowing these customers to continue paying through Apple’s in-app purchases. Subscribers who have been affected by this change recently received emails from Spotify.
The email stated, “We’re contacting you because when you joined Spotify Premium, you used Apple’s billing service to subscribe. Unfortunately, we no longer accept that billing method as a form of payment.”
The notification informed customers that their account would automatically switch to the free, ad-supported service at the end of the final billing period.
To continue enjoying the Premium subscription, users need to re-subscribe using one of the payment methods accepted by Spotify, such as credit cards or PayPal.
A Spotify representative explained, “We have started notifying a small number of users that a legacy payment method, which their Premium account is linked to, is being deprecated.”
“Users who receive the email will be moved to a Free account from their next billing cycle. They will have the option to upgrade to a Premium account by logging into their account at Spotify.com.”
This move is a part of the ongoing conflict between Spotify and Apple, with Spotify accusing the tech giant of employing anticompetitive tactics through its app store policies.
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Umm didn’t they learn from Epic Games and Fortnite…. Apple can just as easily remove Spotify altogether from the AppStore. I mean what is there to lose for Apple, they have their own music streaming service, and there is the flop app Tidal as an alternative as well.