Streaming music service Spotify says that Apple is abusing its position as owner of the App Store. Spotify is accusing Apple of blocking updates to its app because Apple is trying to direct customers to its own Apple Music service, a practice known in the mobile development industry as “Sherlocking.”
For its part, Spotify has been encouraging customers to sign up for its service through its website instead of through its iOS app. When users subscribe through the website, Spotify doesn’t have to pay the usual 30 percent commission to Apple. In response to ads promoting the Spotify website, Apple blocked Spotify’s app updates and threatened to remove the app from the App Store entirely.
A lawyer for Spotify has sent a letter to Apple, but it’s not clear what legal recourse the streaming service might have.
