Spotify is working on an update that could allow iPhone users in the United States to purchase audiobooks from external links. In a Friday announcement, Spotify said it has submitted the update to Apple, and if approved, it will allow premium subscription users to purchase “refills” for additional audiobook listening time.
The changes come in response to an order issued last week by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Epic Games v. Apple, who found that Apple “willfully violated” an injunction issued in 2021. The judge ordered Apple to stop charging up to 27 percent commission on purchases made through external links, and also prohibited the company from restricting how developers direct users to make purchases outside the App Store.
In response to this order, Spotify began allowing users to purchase subscriptions through external links.
Adding links and pricing information for audiobooks would be a significant change to the app. Previously, Spotify tried to get around Apple’s restrictions by not displaying the price of audiobooks in the app, but instead sending users a link where they could purchase the audiobook they wanted online. Eventually, Spotify removed audiobooks from iOS entirely.
“This helps to level the playing field by allowing developers to offer basic pricing information and easily accessible links to purchase digital goods via iPhone without the extra steps and additional taxes levied by Apple,” Spotify said in a statement. “In short, this freedom is a victory for creators, audiences, and developers around the world – if Apple approves it and if the court order stands despite Apple’s continued attempts to stop it.”
Although Apple has asked the court to suspend the order while it appeals, other apps, including those for the Kindle, Patreon, and the Delta emulator, are also taking advantage of the new relaxations.
