Spotify CEO Daniel Ek: Apple App Store Changes ‘Don’t Solve the Problem’

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has taken issue with the recent changes to Apple’s App Store, which free app developers to offer alternative payment options, stating that the changes are a “step in the right direction,” but still don’t address the issues that he and many others have with the Masters of the Universe.

9to5Mac reports that Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, who has taken major issues with Apple in the past, has stated that he’s not particularly impressed with the recent changes to Apple’s App Store. Breitbart News recently reported that Apple has agreed to allow media apps to add in-app links to sign-up pages on developer’s websites.

This new change will allow companies such as Netflix and Spotify to bypass Apple’s payment processing system which takes a 15 to 30 percent cut of all subscriptions and sales made through the app store. Spotify has previously argued vehemently against Apple’s percentage split. In April of this year, the European Commission stated that Apple “abused its dominant position,” in the distribution of music streaming apps through its App Store following a complaint from Spotify.

Following the recent changes, Spotify’s chief legal officer Horacio Gutierrez added an asterisk to a chart previously made by the company. Alongside the original statement on the chart reading: “Forbids restrictions of communication by developers to their users inside or outside of the app,” Gutierrez added “Narrow scope / Not applicable to all apps.”

Apple’s selective tweaks to its App Store rules are welcome, but they don’t go far enough. #TimetoPlayFair pic.twitter.com/z3FasGsXNX

— Horacio Gutierrez (@horaciog) September 2, 2021

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek retweeted Gutierrez’s post and added that the move by Apple is “a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t solve the problem.”

This is a step in the right direction, but it doesn't solve the problem. App developers want clear, fair rules that apply to all apps. Our goal is to restore competition once and for all, not one arbitrary, self-serving step at a time. We will continue to push for a real solution https://t.co/vzIoBpZQr1

— Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) September 2, 2021

Ek added: “App developers want clear, fair rules that apply to all apps. Our goal is to restore competition once and for all, not one arbitrary, self-serving step at a time. We will continue to push for a real solution.”

Read more at 9to5Mac here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com