It's been a strange few weeks for the Spotify app, at least the iPhone one. Reports from December suggested that the company was working to bring in-app purchases back to its app after having removed the ability to sign up for Spotify Premium back in 2016. That was based on code found within its app which showed that there were indeed references to options that would allow people to sign up once more.
However, things got more interesting when just a day later Spotify was moved to respond, saying that it wasn't bringing in-app purchases back to the iPhone after all. Farshad Shadloo told The Verge that “we have no plans to switch IAP [in-app payments] on at the moment.”
That, we thought, was the end of the story. But as is so often the case with a good drama, there's more to it than we originally thought. Because here we are, just a few weeks later, dealing with a distinct case of deja vu. Because once again, Spotify's app has its in-app purchase code back and nobody seems to know why. Spotify had removed it following last month's discovery but today it's back — and it's the exact same code that was discovered before.
Spotify can't make up its mind
The discovery was made by @aaronp613 on X, the social network better known to the majority of the planet as Twitter.
A month ago Spotify added strings in their iOS app's beta indicating In App Purchasing was returning. After MacRumors published a story, the code was removed the following day.Today, that same exact code was re-added. https://t.co/vOeuK9DsnKJanuary 4, 2024
Backing up for a minute, it's difficult to understate just how big a deal Spotify's relenting on in-app purchases could be. Because it could change the way that people use Spotify on their iPhones.
Right now, people who want to subscribe to Spotify Premium must do so via the service's website, something that's a pain but far from a huge deal. Spotify ditched in-app purchases via Apple's App Store because it didn't want to pay the 30% cut that Apple takes from each transaction. That's something other companies also do, and for the same reason.
But while subscribing to Spotify Premium isn't something people do repeatedly, the same can't be said for another feature of Spotify. The app now allows people to listen to audiobooks, much like Audible and similar options. But because Spotify won't pay Apple its cut, audiobook fans have to buy their books via the Spotify website and then download them in-app. That's something people do much more often, and it's sure to be a bone of contention for many.
Could Spotify be looking to add some sort of in-app payment system to allow people to buy audiobooks in-app? If it is, it'll have to use Apple's payment system rather than its own — Spotify only needs to look at Epic Games to see why. Or try searching the App Store for Fortnite, perhaps.
What's going on?
Spotify couldn't have been more clear when it said that it wasn't bringing in-app purchases back, but it wouldn't be the first time that a company has said one thing and then done the opposite.
It's also possible that Spotify is getting ready to piggyback off future laws that might require Apple to allow third-party payment systems, but time will tell. For now, we can do little more than wait to see what Spotify has in mind. Because there's one thing that is clear. No matter what Spotify says, that code is designed to do something. What it is, we'll find out sooner or later.
