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.
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.
Popular Stories
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple today began selling certified refurbished iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max models on its online store in the U.S., with prices discounted by 12% to 22% compared to Apple's current or former pricing for the devices.
Here were Apple's starting prices when the devices launched in September 2024:
iPhone 16: $799
iPhone 16 Plus: $899
iPhone 16 Pro:...
