Yahoo Finance Spotify demands Apple is investigated for blocking updates to its audiobooks streaming service
Spotify has called on Britain's competition watchdog to investigate Apple's decision to block updates to its new audiobooks service.
The Swedish music streaming company met with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to raise concerns after the iPhone maker rejected several new versions of Spotify’s music app, a source said.
Spotify, which is used by more than 450 million people, last month added audiobooks to its streaming service, where people can purchase recordings of books and listen to them in its music library.
However, it was forced to make multiple changes to the service in order to avoid paying a 30pc fee to Apple, which the iPhone maker charges for purchases through its app store.
An earlier version of the Spotify app emailed users a link to buy books, but did not allow them to buy them through its app.
Now, the app has no obvious instructions at all on how to purchase audiobooks. It tells subscribers: “Want to listen? You can’t buy audiobooks in the app. We know it’s not ideal.”
Spotify has said this is to avoid falling foul of Apple’s rules that force it to pay a 30pc fee on any purchases made in its iPhone's App Store.
Last week, Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek accused Apple of “choking competition” and making its audiobooks product worse.
Mr Ek said: “Apple has once again proven just how brazen it is willing to be with its App Store rules, constantly shifting the goalposts to disadvantage their competitors.”
The Telegraph understands Spotify executives met with the CMA last week to flag their concerns about Apple and call for it to accelerate its inquiry into the tech company. The CMA is currently investigating the iPhone maker’s App Store fees.
Apple has its own audiobooks product, which competes with Spotify.
In 2019, Spotify made a complaint to the European Commission over Apple’s App Store fees, and two years later the EU charged the iPhone maker with demanding unfairly high fees on music streaming companies. The case is ongoing.
Apple has repeatedly denied its App Store fees are unfair and argued the app store has helped make businesses billions of pounds while creating a safe experience for consumers.
The iPhone maker said last week that Spotify’s app updates were blocked because it would not follow the App Store’s rules.
A spokesman said: “The Spotify app was rejected for not following the guidelines regarding including explicit in-app communications to direct users outside the app to make digital purchases."
A CMA spokesman said: “Complaints that Apple is using its market position to set terms which are unfair or may restrict competition and choice – potentially causing customers to lose out when buying and using apps – warrant careful scrutiny. Our investigation into Apple is ongoing.”
