Spotify for iPhone updated to show clear pricing information and purchase links
Apple has approved an update to Spotify’s iPhone and iPad on the App Store in the United States to show clear pricing information and external purchase links.
Yesterday, Spotify submitted an update to its music-streaming app on the App Store following a ruling in the Epic Games case. And now, Apple has approved it! Download the latest Spotify update from the US App Store, then hit the Premium tab and you’ll see that the app now shows clear pricing information, including cheaper subscriptions available when subscribing through Spotify’s website, and there are multiple buttons for the various Spotify tiers, each linked to an external purchase.
This is as it should have been right from the start if it weren’t for Apple’s anti-steering rule preventing developers from telling people about web subscriptions. Apps like Netflix and Spotify can now open to a screen with detailed information about the subscription options, and show external links. The App Store debuted in 2008, so it took a while to get to this point, but it was worth it!
Spotify for iPhone brings web purchase links in the US
“After nearly a decade, this will finally allow us to freely show clear pricing information and links to purchase, fostering transparency and choice for US consumers,“ Spotify wrote in a post on X. “There is more work to do, but today represents a significant milestone for developers and entrepreneurs everywhere who want to build and compete on a more level playing field.”
“We can now give consumers lower prices, more control and easier access to the Spotify experience,” the company wrote on the official Spotify blog, explaining what its customers in the United States now can do with the refreshed app:
- See how much something costs in the app, including pricing details on subscriptions and information about promotions that will save money.
- Click a link to purchase the subscription of choice, upgrading from a Free account to one of the Premium plans.
- Seamlessly click the link and easily change Premium subscriptions from Individual to a Student, Duo or Family plan.
- Use payment options beyond just iTunes billing, with a wider range of options provided on the Spotify website.
According to Spotify, future updates could open the door to “other seamless buying opportunities that will directly benefit creators,” like easy-to-purchase audiobooks.
Big App Store changes
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers wrote in her injunction that Apple must immediately allow external purchase links in iPhone and iPads apps carried on the App Store in the United States and stop imposing any commission fees for off-app purchases. In other words, anti-steering rules are no longer permitted on the US App Store.
Moreover, the company has been barred from using scare screens, ambiguous language and other dirty tricks that dissuade people from following such links. Apple has updated its review guidelines to comply with the ruling, so US developers can now link to external payments and tell users about cheaper web subscriptions.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/05/02/spotify-iphone-purchase-links-external-subscriptions/
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