Two of the world’s most popular CEOs, Daniel Ek of Spotify and Elon Musk of Tesla have criticized Apple’s App Store policies.
Notably, Musk described Apple’s App Store policies as a “battle for the future of civilization.” Moreover, the 51-year-old business magnate criticized the American tech giant’s app review system.
A considerable number of app developers aren’t pleased with the Apple App Store policies. However, with the company left with no choice but to comply with new EU rules, Apple might opt for app billing methods and open iOS to alternate app stores.
Regrettably, these changes could be limited to the EU, while things will remain the same for the rest of the markets. Now, Apple has come under strong pressure from Elon Musk, Spotify, Epic Games, and other relevant forces.
Elon Musk, Spotify criticize Apple’s App Store rules
Spotify officials and Elon Musk have previously made public statements against Apple’s App Store policies. Now, they have teamed up and taken to Twitter to oppose these Apple-imposed rules on developers.
Musk and Ek have challenged Apple’s guidelines, with Ek calling the rules “absurd” and Musk claiming that they pose a “serious scaling problem.” The conversation kicked off when Twitter unveiled “subscriptions” for all users on the platform.
Note, it takes a few days longer for subscriptions to go active on iPhone vs web, as all subscriptions currently have to be approved by Apple
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 28, 2023
Musk explained why subscriptions appear quicker on the web than on iPhone.“Note, it takes a few days longer for subscriptions to go active on iPhone vs. web, as all subscriptions currently have to be approved by Apple” Musk explained.
Spotify has been unhappy with Apple for a while now
The digital music service’s unhappiness with Apple isn’t a new story. Twitter needs to comply with App Store in-app subscription rules for subscriptions available via the iPhone app. Ek quoted Musk’s post to slam Apple’s rules.
This is absurd… How would this scale with every creator on every platform on the internet? And what about if a platform thought the right fee was 0% or 10% instead of Apple’s 30%? https://t.co/rolBNuXOvt
— Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) April 30, 2023
According to the top executive, it is ridiculous how this would scale with every creator on every platform on the internet. “What about if a platform thought the right fee was 0% or 10% instead of Apple’s 30%?”he asked. Musk responded stating that this is becoming a serious scaling challenge.
To recap, Musk previously compared Apple’s App Store fees to a 30 percent tax on using the Internet. Likewise, Spotify has been in strong opposition to the App Store rules. In fact, the company even filed antitrust complaints against the Cupertino-based tech firm in the EU, according to a 9To5Mac report.
Apparently, Spotify claims Apple can offer in-app Apple Music subscriptions without any penalty. The music streaming giant, on the other hand, has to give Apple 30 percent (or 15 percent from year two) of its subscription revenue if it did the same.
Let us know what you think about Apple’s App Store rules in the comments below. Also, watch this space for the latest tech news and updates.
