California, US: iPhone maker Apple and global streaming giant, Spotify have had a long-winded legal battle over the former’s App Store policies over the years, with numerous public spats over app and subscription pricing as well as app rejections as a result of Spotify’s attempts to avoid the up to 30 percent cut that Apple retains from sales.

The founder and CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, want the streamer to dominate the audio industry. However, he encountered a well-known roadblock when he tried to expand the streaming subscription service beyond music and podcasts to include audiobooks.

Apple, on the other hand, believes that Spotify’s audiobook update violates regulations governing how apps can inform users about purchase choices outside of the App Store. The Cupertino-based firm claims that Spotify is once again attempting to circumvent its App Store standards.

Spotify is having trouble implementing an App Store rule modification that Apple agreed to last year that permits developers to communicate information about payment alternatives that are accessible outside of an iOS, operating system, or app via communications like email.

Instead of paying Apple a percentage of its audiobook sales, Spotify intended to encourage people to buy books online to listen to in the app.

Spotify has received permission from Apple to contact users about online transactions, but the company is unable to provide a button inside the app to do so. Apple initially gave the upgrade approval in the previous month after working with Spotify’s legal team on its design, but later changed its mind and rejected any further improvements.

A consumer taps on an audiobook and is sent through a nine-step procedure by Spotify to purchase it, which includes a screen with a lock covering the play button once the customer selects the audiobook. Customers who clicked the play button were taken to a page where they could send an email asking for instructions on how to purchase a book, and the email contained a link to do so.

Commenting on the addition of audiobook content to reader apps like Spotify, an Apple spokesperson told media that it was “no problem” for the company, but Spotify did not adhere to Apple’s rules about in-app communications that directed users outside the app.

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