Apple will pay just half a billion euros over Spotify's antitrust complaint

by alex

She faced a much larger fine

According to the Financial Times, Apple will receive its first ever fine from the EU Commission. The fine will amount to approximately 500 million euros and will be part of the conclusion of a case that began in 2019 after Spotify filed a formal complaint.

Specifically, the EU finds that Apple acted unlawfully by preventing music streaming apps like Spotify from telling customers about other ways to subscribe to their services and thereby avoid Apple's fees on in-app purchases.

The upcoming EU decision won't force Apple to allow alternative payment methods in apps, but it will insist that music streaming app developers can freely link to their website for online subscriptions (where prices, could possibly be lower since they won't be subject to Apple's fees).

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In 2022, Apple slightly relaxed the rules for a number of apps, such as Netflix or Kindle, allowing them to include one link to their own account management websites.

With the passage of the Digital Marketplace Act next month, Apple will also allow Spotify to use alternative payment methods in the EU, but the company will still receive a 17% commission if Spotify remains on the App Store.< /p>

Recall that in  2019 Spotify filed an antitrust complaint with the EU against Apple, accusing the latter of unfairly restricting competitors. Apple faced a $30 billion fine.

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