Spotify has accused Apple of violating the European Union’s Digital Market Act (DMA) by allegedly disrupting the Spotify Connect feature experience on Apple devices. According to Spotify, Apple’s recent changes have made it more difficult for users to adjust the volume of music playing on connected devices via the Spotify Connect feature on iPhones.
Spotify argues that Apple’s actions are in breach of Clause 7, Article 6 of the DMA, which aims to ensure that “internet gatekeeper” companies like Apple provide other service providers with fair access to hardware and control software on the operating system. Spotify claims that while users could previously adjust the volume of sound emitted from HomePod and Apple TV speakers using the volume keys on the iPhone, the same functionality is no longer available for Spotify Connect.
Spotify has reportedly requested a similar solution from Apple for third-party developers, but Apple maintains that Spotify must integrate its applications with HomePod to access the technology. This dispute adds to the ongoing legal battles between Spotify and Apple in the realm of online music services.