Spotify accuses Apple harming customers with its unfair practices

Spotify has written to the European Union competition commissioner asking urgent regulatory action against Apple on competition grounds.

In a letter to Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Spotify accused Apple of causing “immeasurable” harm to consumers and developers and making “capricious changes to terms and conditions” as a result of its “monopoly position”.

Spotify said, “Apple has and continues to defy every effort from courts and regulators to address these unfair practices. While Apple continues to reap unfair rewards, the harm to developers and, more importantly, to consumers is immeasurable. It’s time for regulators to address the ever-growing chorus of complaints against Apple, a critical step in stopping Apple’s continued abuses of its powerful platform.”

The letter was co-signed with a number of tech firms including email business Proton and music streaming service Deezer. It stated: “For years, Apple has imposed unfair restrictions on our businesses. These restrictions hamper our development and harm European consumers.”

Around four years ago, Spotify previously filed a formal antitrust complaint with the European Commission against Apple, alleging that the tech giant’s “anti-competitive behavior” was suppressing innovation and harming developers and consumers across Europe and around the world.