• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
TechAntitrust
Europe

Spotify lays into Apple’s ‘outrageous’ plan to charge some app developers 27% commission: ‘They will stop at nothing to protect the profits they exact’

Ryan Hogg
By
Ryan Hogg
Ryan Hogg
Europe News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
Ryan Hogg
By
Ryan Hogg
Ryan Hogg
Europe News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 19, 2024, 6:44 AM ET
Spotify wants Apple to remove the 30% commission the company when a customer buys a subscription through the App Store.
Spotify wants Apple to remove the 30% commission the company when a customer buys a subscription through the App Store.Jaap Arriens—NurPhoto/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Spotify has launched a fresh attack on Apple as part of the pair’s long-standing battle over Apple’s App Store rules and fees, calling new charges on purchases made outside the App Store “outrageous.”

Apple announced Wednesday it would permit users in the U.S. to make purchases outside its App Store, provided major app developers pay a 27% commission.

The changes come after the tech group faced a legal challenge from Fortnite maker Epic Games as part of a battle over fees spanning back to 2010. 

While the judge sided with Apple on most counts, they ruled the company was in violation of a competition law by failing to tell users about ways to make purchases outside the App Store.

Under the change, developers can now redirect customers to bypass the App Store payment system by using things like external links.

Apple is now chasing Epic Games for $73.5 million to cover losses and legal costs following its win, according to a Tuesday filing.

While the biggest app developers, including Spotify, will face a 27% fee on purchases made away from the store, sales from smaller developers and the auto-renewal of subscriptions will face a 12% charge. 

In a vitriolic statement, Spotify argued the latest charge “flies in the face” of attempts by the U.S. to introduce more competition to the tech sector.

A representative for Apple didn’t immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.

Apple’s fees back in spotlight

Major developers selling digital goods and services on Apple’s App Store pay the group a 30% commission fee on apps and in-app purchases, including subscriptions. 

However, small developers pay about a 15% commission, while 85% of developers pay no fees at all.

“All App Store developers—including those who place buttons or links with calls to action in their apps — benefit from Apple’s proprietary technology and tools protected by intellectual property, and access to its user base,” Apple said as it disclosed the changes in a court filing.

The new fee for external purchases, though, has sparked Spotify’s latest missive against Apple, extending a long-running tussle with the group over what the streaming platform views as anti-competitive charges.

“Once again, Apple has demonstrated that they will stop at nothing to protect the profits they exact on the backs of developers and consumers under their app store monopoly,” a representative for the group told Fortune in a statement.

“Their latest move in the U.S.—imposing a 27% fee for transactions made outside of an app on a developer’s website—is outrageous and flies in the face of the court’s efforts to enable greater competition and user choice.”

Spotify called for the U.K. government to step in to prevent similar fees passing in the country. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill, which would impose tough new rules on major tech players, is currently passing through the country’s houses of parliament. 

Spotify’s fight with Apple 

Spotify and the group’s CEO Daniel Ek have repeatadly lamented Apple’s charges, which fall on any subscriptions to the streaming platform made through the app store.

The group views the charges as giving Apple a leg-up with its own music streaming offering, Apple Music, which is less popular than Spotify.

In an October op-ed for the Daily Mail, Ek said the charge, which Google’s app store also levies, hobbled competition and allowed the groups monopolistic control in the tech sector.  

Ek argued that he wouldn’t have been to create his $40 billion streaming platform if he had come up with the idea today, owing to those fees. 

“Today, Apple and Google are not just players, they are the rule-makers and gatekeepers of the mobile internet, controlling how more than 5 billion global consumers interact online,” Ek wrote.

The European Commission launched an antitrust investigation into Apple in 2020 after Spotify made complaints about the 30% fee it pays the company.

In February, the EU narrowed its this investigation to exclude Spotify’s request to remove the charge from the sale of digital goods and services.

“The App Store has helped Spotify become the top music streaming service across Europe, and we hope the European Commission will end its pursuit of a complaint that has no merit,” a representative for Apple previously told Fortune in a statement.

About the Author
Ryan Hogg
By Ryan HoggEurope News Reporter

Ryan Hogg was a Europe business reporter at Fortune.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

hegseth
Startups & VentureVenture Capital
The defense tech boom has become a bubble—or it will be soon
By Allie GarfinkleJuly 2, 2026
14 minutes ago
Emily Blunt is worth $80 million and just pocketed $15 million for her latest film—but she once wanted to be a Spanish translator for the UN
SuccessCareers
Emily Blunt is worth $80 million and just pocketed $15 million for her latest film—but she once wanted to be a Spanish translator for the UN
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 2, 2026
16 minutes ago
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
By John KellJuly 1, 2026
15 hours ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s AI models are back online after a two-week government standoff—settling the company and administration into a fragile truce
By Tristan BoveJuly 1, 2026
15 hours ago
Nikesh Arora, chief executive officer at Palo Alto Networks
SuccessJobs
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
By Emma BurleighJuly 1, 2026
16 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for July 1, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
18 hours ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Newsletters
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
By Diane BradyJuly 1, 2026
22 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
19 hours ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
5 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.