As a result of the Epic vs. Apple lawsuit, Spotify was able to make external payments to its iOS app without fees, resulting in a significant increase in users of its premium plan.
According to documents submitted under the amicus brief system, in which third parties provide useful opinions during court proceedings, the lawsuit between Epic Games and Apple resulted in the use of external payment systems for iOS apps without fees, and Spotify saw a significant increase in users of its premium plan using this external payment system.
Spotify says support for external payments on iOS has already boosted subscriptions | TechCrunch
Epic Games, the developer and operator of 'Fortnite,' announced 'Epic Direct Payments' as a new payment system in 2020. When users purchased items via the App Store, a 30% commission was charged, but Epic Direct Payments has no commission, so it was sold as being able to give up to 20% of sales back to users. However, Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store for violating its terms of service, stating that 'the use of payment systems outside the App Store is not permitted.' Epic Games filed a lawsuit seeking 'fair competition.'
'Fortnite' developer Epic Games sues Apple - GIGAZINE
The trial was decided in favor of Apple by both the district court and the appellate court, but the Supreme Court refused to hear the case, and the appellate court decision, which accepted most of Apple's arguments, was finalized. However, Epic Games' argument that 'allowing links to external payment systems' was accepted in both the first instance and appellate court decisions.
Following the ruling, Apple updated its App Store guidelines to allow 'links to external payment systems other than in-app purchases.' However, Epic Games filed an objection, arguing that the imposition
Court rules against Apple forbidding 'imposing fees on out-of-app purchases'; iPhone version of Fortnite to be re-released - GIGAZINE
Epic Games is not the only company that has filed an 'amicus brief' with the court, with other major companies including Meta, Microsoft, X, Match Group, and Spotify arguing that the imposition of fees on external payment systems is 'inconsistent with both the letter and spirit of the 2021 ruling that requires app developers to 'allow users to direct users to their own payment systems.'
Spotify argues that Apple's claim that the 2025 court order will only harm its company and will not benefit the public is false.
According to Spotify's internal data, after updating its iOS app in accordance with the court order to waive fees for third-party payment systems, the conversion rate from the free version to the premium version, which was stable on Android, increased significantly on iOS.
Spotify explained, 'This data strongly suggests that the increase in user migration is a result of Apple's 2025 court-ordered suspension of fees,' and 'Apple's compliance with the law has led to new product innovation.'
in Note, Posted by logc_nt