How Spotify Outwitted Apple in the Fight for the Music Stream.

How Spotify Outwitted Apple in the Fight for the Music Stream.

Back in 2015, a major clash unfolded between tech titans Apple and Spotify over control of the music streaming game. At the heart of the tension was Apple’s App Store policies and the 30% cut the company takes on all in-app purchases. Spotify, eager to dodge that hefty fee, launched a bold email campaign urging iPhone users to ditch their App Store subscriptions and sign up directly through Spotify’s website instead.

Apple wasn’t having it. When Spotify tried to update its app on iOS, Apple blocked it, citing violations of their strict App Store guidelines. Spotify’s legal team, led by Horacio Gutierrez, didn’t hold back. They accused Apple of playing dirty, claiming the tech giant was trying to knock Spotify out of the competition—especially with the growing dominance of Apple Music.

Apple fired back, defending its actions by arguing that its rules applied equally to all developers. Bruce Sewell, Apple’s then-general counsel, made it clear: Spotify wasn’t getting special treatment, and Apple’s policies were in place to protect users, not to crush competitors.

Despite Apple’s defense, this battle sparked bigger conversations about whether platform owners were stacking the deck in favor of their own services. Spotify wasn’t backing down. Their efforts to challenge Apple went beyond this initial 2015 incident, leading to a 2019 antitrust complaint filed with the European Commission, accusing Apple of limiting consumer choices and stifling innovation.

To wrap it up: While Apple stood firm on its App Store guidelines—charging that 30% commission and enforcing strict review processes—it didn’t exactly go as far as threatening to remove Spotify from the App Store. Still, the war between these two giants over app policies and competition in the music streaming world would continue to fuel debate for years to come.

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