Spotify calls Apple’s App Store restrictions ‘an abusive grab of power’

In an App Store antitrust hearing that took place today, Spotify and Match Group (the company behind Tinder) accused Apple of misusing its ‌App Store‌ powers to harm rival services, reports Bloomberg. Horacio Gutierrez, Spotify’s Chief Legal Officer, said Apple’s rules are “nothing more than an abuse of power.”

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“Apple is abusing its dominant position as gatekeeper of the ‌App Store‌ to isolate itself from competition and penalize rival services like Spotify,” Horacio Gutierrez, Spotify’s chief legal officer, told lawmakers. Apple’s restrictions on developers, he added, “are nothing more than an abuse of power and a confiscation of the value created by others.

Spotify has had an ongoing feud with Apple since the debut of Apple Music. Apple Music costs $ 9.99, a price Spotify can’t match due to the 30 percent discount Apple is taking, as it doesn’t leave enough margin for Spotify to make money. Spotify has complained that it has no choice but to charge more on iOS devices and no alternative, as Apple doesn’t allow it to offer alternative sign-in or payment options in its app.

Match, meanwhile, complained that it wanted to add ID verification rules to increase the app’s security in Taiwan, but Apple wouldn’t allow it. Match contacted an Apple manager, who reportedly told the company it should be happy that Apple was not taking on all of the revenue. “You owe us every penny you have earned,” the Apple executive reportedly said.

The “Antitrust Applied: Examining Competition in App Stores” hearing examines app stores and mobile competition, targeting Apple and Google. Kyle Andeer, Apple’s Chief Compliance Officer, was on hand to defend Apple.

Andeer stuck to Apple’s usual talking points about how the “App Store” revolutionized software distribution and made it easier for developers to reach new users. Andeer said Apple’s strict ‌App Store‌ rules are designed to meet privacy, security, and performance standards.

Apple’s ‌App Store‌ rules are also facing an antitrust investigation from the US Department of Justice, and Apple is currently preparing to face off over its overApp Store‌ policy with Epic Games.

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