The world’s biggest streaming music service will work a little differently starting March 7 — if you’re in the European Union, anyway. That’s because the EU has passed the Digital Markets Act, which (among other things) means that Apple will have to allow apps like Spotify to use payment systems that can bypass Apple’s cut from in-app sales.
And Spotify is showing off how it’ll work.
There’s nothing inherently groundbreaking here, save for the fact that it’s happening at all. Third-party app stores and purchases were a thing long before the Apple App Store came into existence. And it’s not like you haven’t been able to use Spotify on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac all these years — it’s just that you had to sign up and pay from a web browser. That’s definitely never been ideal from a user-experience perspective.
Or, as Spotify puts it, “For years, even in our own app, Apple had these rules where we couldn’t tell you about offers, how much something costs, or even where or how to buy it. We know, pretty nuts.”
So, thanks to the DMA, come March 7 — again, if you’re in the EU — you’ll be getting a different sort of Spotify. One that can show you other things you can purchase from Spotify — like higher service tiers, promotions, or audiobooks — right within the app. “We will be able to communicate clearly with you in the Spotify app about new products for sale, promotional campaigns, superfan clubs, and upcoming events, including when items like audiobooks are going on sale,” Spotify wrote in a blog post.
Spotify then reminds everyone that this only pertains to the EU. The rest of us are going to have to continue to make do. For now.
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