It’s only a couple of weeks since courts ruled that Apple could not keep taking a sizeable slice of all in-app sales. But things have moved really fast in that time (it’s almost as if companies were waiting for the ruling to pounce into action with an oven-ready plan in response to iOS payment changes).
ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
One of those fast moves is a new Spotify app in the App Store with new functionality to allow direct in-app payments to Spotify. The update includes a new page in the app that tells users how to upgrade to a Premium subscription. And it says that in the two weeks since being able to include that in its iOS app, subscriptions through iOS have increased dramatically (while those on Android have remained constant).
Spotify Cites Boost in iOS Revenue
This news comes as part of Spotify’s brief in the continued case against Apple. The point they are making is that removing the slice of Apple’s pie has led to a significant boost in revenue and, by extrapolation, a healthier market. The case continues, with Apple’s request for a stay of the decision while its appeal is being heard having been refused. No doubt the evidence over the impact of the decision will continue to mount as we await a final ruling.
Bluesky Moves Toward Verification
Elsewhere in app-land, Bluesky has taken another step toward maturity after exploding in popularity as users looked for an alternative to X. That popularity might well continue growing if the woes at once-Twitter continue, with a global outage on Thursday of last week followed by continuing disruption for some time after.
That step is the announcement that verification is on the way. There were tentative steps in this direction last month. Now the door is open to “notable and authentic” accounts to apply for verification using a form provided by the platform. What the bonuses or benefits might be—and what “notable” means—aren’t fully clear. It also remains possible to self-verify by setting your domain as your handle. Though I tried this once, and the “instruction” page just made me cry, so I gave up. Fingers crossed this might be a more user-friendly path to take!
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