Spotify Subscribers No Longer Allowed to Pay Through App Store

Spotify will no longer allow customers who previously subscribed to the Spotify streaming music service through the App Store to continue to pay using Apple's platform, reports Variety. Spotify has started sending emails to subscribers who pay using an ‌App Store‌ subscription to let them know that they'll need to make changes.

General Spotify Feature
Spotify has not allowed customers to sign up for a Spotify Premium subscription through the ‌App Store‌ for the last seven years. ‌App Store‌ Spotify subscriptions were in fact only available for a two-year period between 2014 and 2016, but some longtime subscribers have continued to pay for Spotify through the ‌App Store‌ since that time.

In emails to customers, Spotify says that it is no longer accepting Apple's billing service as a payment method.

"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."

At the end of the final billing period, Spotify customers who have a subscription through the ‌App Store‌ will have their accounts transitioned to the free ad-supported service. Customers will then need to resubscribe to Premium using the Spotify website.

There is no mechanism for subscribing to Spotify through the Spotify app, as Spotify has restricted signups to its website in order to avoid paying Apple's fees. "You can't upgrade to Premium in the app," reads Spotify's "Premium" section in its iOS app. "We know, it's not ideal." For customers who have been continuing to pay through the ‌App Store‌, Apple has been taking a 15 percent cut, which Spotify no longer wants to pay.

Given that Spotify has not allowed signups through the ‌App Store‌ for multiple years, this change is not likely to impact many Spotify customers.

Tag: Spotify

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

New iPhone 17 Pro Details: Brighter Display, Best Battery Life, and More

Wednesday September 3, 2025 5:33 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models will feature a number of significant display, thermal, and battery improvements, according to new late-stage rumors. According to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital," the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature displays with higher brightness, making it more suitable for use in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. The iPhone 16 Pro and...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Tuesday September 2, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Just one week before Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series, an analyst has shared new price estimates for the devices. Here are J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee's price estimates for the iPhone 17 series in the United States, according to 9to5Mac: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 16 $799 iPhone 17 ...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
iOS 18 on iPhone Arrow Down

Apple Preparing iOS 18.7 for iPhones as iOS 26 Release Date Nears

Sunday August 31, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs. We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else. iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

Survey: Nearly 70% of Users Plan to Upgrade to iPhone 17

Monday September 1, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
A new survey has found that nearly seven in ten iPhone owners in the United States plan to upgrade to an iPhone 17 model, signaling strong demand ahead of Apple's expected unveiling of the devices at its September 9 keynote. Smartphone price comparison platform SellCell surveyed over 2,000 U.S.-based iPhone users in August to assess upgrade interest and brand loyalty before Apple's event....

Top Rated Comments

lkrupp Avatar
28 months ago

I do feel that it's time for Apple to reduce the rates. Yes, they need to cover credit card fees that they pay, but do they need an extra 10-25% on top of that? No. 5% would be reasonable given their transaction volume. That's how the market works, but in the case of digital goods, there are no supply constraints. The supply is virtually unlimited.
Really? You think digital goods don't have supply constraints? It’s just a couple of servers in a back room that, once turned loose, just work without expenses or management. Tell me, now much does Apple pay Akamai for the App Store bandwidth? How many Apple employees are dedicated to the operation of the App Store? I guess you also would like the government to regulate profit margins.

Oh never mind, ignorance is bliss.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coolfactor Avatar
28 months ago
I'm not sure how taking choice away from customers is the right message. Isn't that the issue that they are battling... lack of choice?
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LeeW Avatar
28 months ago
Not going to impact them. Spotify has a very, very strong following.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LeeW Avatar
28 months ago

So, Spotify wants to stay relevant to the Apple's App store but do not want to pay 15%.
Remember that Spotify has not accepted payments through the App Store for many years. This only affects those who paid through the store years ago and kept paying that way.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
28 months ago

developers who cry about Apple's 30% cut are being stupidly unreasonable.
Apple's refusal to allow developers from mentioning within their own app a 3rd party payment option is stupidly unreasonable. Is Apple so afraid of competition and the loss of their 15% or 30% cut?


I'm not sure how taking choice away from customers is the right message. Isn't that the issue that they are battling... lack of choice?
Lack of choice is Apple's doing.

Now Apple is being forced to give users a choice.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-appeals-court-upholds-lower-court-order-forcing-apple-allow-third-party-app-2023-04-24/

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/01/15/apple-third-party-payment-options-netherlands/

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/25/eu-provisionally-agrees-dma-law-apple-app-store/

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/08/09/apple-app-store-investigated-again-south-korea/
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tripsync Avatar
28 months ago
you mean you could just get people to sign up via web instead of doing IAP? who knew.

developers who cry about Apple's 30% cut are being stupidly unreasonable.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)