Spotify for iPhone submitted to Apple for approval

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Spotify has submitted its' iPhone application to the Apple AppStore for approval.

The application, if approved, could be available within weeks according to the BBC. Company officials posted an official video of the application running on the iPhone to demonstrate the capabilities. The application syncs your playlists directly from Spotify and allows you to store them in offline mode. Offline mode will download the tracks to your device so you can keep playing them if you run out of reception or are on the tube etc.

The iPhone Spotify application works over Edge, 3G and Wi-fi. A Spotify spokesperson confirmed to Neowin that only users who pay the monthly £9.99 subscription cost to the premium service will be able to use the iPhone application. The app itself will be free.

Spotify officials originally demonstrated an Android version of the mobile application back in May which is still in development.

For those who haven't heard of Spotify, it is a multi-platform application which provides access to a free and legal barrage of online music. It's a streaming music player which has a similar feel to iTunes. Through it a user can get links to a large number of albums and tracks. Spotify use a peer-to-peer network along with streaming servers to provide their music. For more information on Spotify itself checkout Neowin's review.

Update: Spotify have provided Neowin with a statement after questions were raised whether Apple will approve the application. "We have a great relationship with Apple, think the iPhone is awesome and absolutely expect them to approve our app in the next few weeks. Apple has already approved several other music services such as Lastfm, Deezer and Pandora. We very much look forward to people being able to access their Spotify library wherever they might be and we've spent significant time and resources to ensure we've stuck to Apple's developer guidelines point by point."

#1 Beastage on 27 Jul 2009 - 08:55

I'll be flipping and loling if Apple denies this because songs on spofify might contrain inappropirate lyrics...

#2 Septimus on 27 Jul 2009 - 09:01

At last! Please don't **** this up Apple.

(2 replies) #3 Antaris on 27 Jul 2009 - 09:05

It won't be because of inappropriate lyrics, but that Spotify is an application that could potentially damage sales @ iTunes. Think Apple would get into trouble if they stopped it though...

#3.1 Julius Caro on 27 Jul 2009 - 09:53

Antaris said,

I want war

#3.2 Beastage on 27 Jul 2009 - 13:15

Exactly why Apple will have some other excuse.

#4 +Axel on 27 Jul 2009 - 09:13

Aren't part of the T's and C's for submitting apps that they can refuse an app if it's likely to damage apple as a company? Technically I can see this causing damage in their income.

Would love it to be released though - getting a 3GS shortly!!!

(3 replies) #5 +Chicane-UK on 27 Jul 2009 - 09:17

This is a real dilemma. Is it worth the ï¿½9.99/month for Spotify premium? I certainly use Spotify enough but I just don't know if it's worth ï¿½9.99 month and would love to have Spotify on my phone as well.. I think I'll give it a try for a month or two and see if it becomes crucial enough to me that I don't want to cancel the subscription

The iPhone Spotify application works over Edge, 3G and Wi-fi.

I bet a few carriers have a moan about this!

#5.1 Jugalator on 27 Jul 2009 - 11:04

I already pay for premium as it is now.

I think the music library and speed of the service is so good that they're worth it. But sure, having listened to ad-sponsored use, the ad interruptions in the music are so few that I could just as well go with that, as I don't have much use for the other premium features like album releases in advance.

If I owned an iPhone, I wouldn't doubt joining as a subscriber though. It's like radio, just much, much better.

#5.2 Manish on 27 Jul 2009 - 11:56

I agree. This is a real dilemma. I love Spotify, and having watched the video, I thought this is an instant buy. But then, I read "only users who pay the monthly Â£9.99 subscription cost to the premium service will be able to use the iPhone application". Hmm. I'd much rather have ads on the iPhone version of Spotify (either like the free PC option or like other ad-supported free apps). Or I'd prefer if they just charged for the app.

#5.3 +M2Ys4U on 27 Jul 2009 - 17:27

last.fm's app works over edge and 3G already.

#6 Julius Caro on 27 Jul 2009 - 09:50

Where's my android version???? Im mad!! Though I have an ipod touch too

(1 reply) #7 DrScouse on 27 Jul 2009 - 10:14

wonder hoe quick you would use up your 500mb allowance with o2??

Would it store a local cache of your music??

#7.1 carpediem on 27 Jul 2009 - 10:21

yes it does... If you watch the video they even show that.

(1 reply) #8 DrScouse on 27 Jul 2009 - 10:34

i watched the vid after i posteed!!! i was suprised that they would actually do it that way.. but thats a nice feature, and would make the 9.99 a month more appealing....

Hmm.. i wonder how many phones this could be used on, if you had other family members with iphones, you would not want to each pay 9.99 a month, afterall, if you have it on your home pc.. anyone could use it.. so I wonder how many iphones you could have the same account on????

#8.1 Richard Herman on 27 Jul 2009 - 10:51

I would imagine it would authenticate in a similar manor to that of the desktop application; only a single user can be logged in and listen to music at any given time. I doubt it would lock a spotify account to a specific iPhone, although I could be wrong.

I have my doubts about Apple approving it, but I really hope they do. I'm a spotify user, and own an iPhone 3G, and the ability to access music anywhere would be superb, fingers crossed!

(2 replies) #9 Julius Caro on 27 Jul 2009 - 11:02

I think there are other applications that stream music, or at least the itunes previews? It won't hurt itunes that much
1) there's no spotify in the US yet, itunes biggest market
2) it would only be for spotify premium users
3) they have an agreement to buy music from 7digital. maybe for the iphone they could do the same with itunes.

#9.1 meccs on 27 Jul 2009 - 13:50

If you can listen to that song with spotify even if you are not connected to the internet... why would you buy it from itunes? Doesn't make sense!

#9.2 Julius Caro on 27 Jul 2009 - 16:06

meccs said,

surely there will be SOME limitation. although well, you are paying 10 bucks a month, it ain't that bad

#10 Chasethebase on 27 Jul 2009 - 11:22

Ugh this sucks. I'd use the app plenty of times if you didn't have to pay the £9.99 to actually use it...

#11 thealexweb on 27 Jul 2009 - 11:27

There will be out roar if they decline it, when they declined Opera however nobody cared lol.

(4 replies) #12 Digix on 27 Jul 2009 - 12:11

Who cares. This is all spotify will ever be "Not available in your country yet".

#12.1 BGM on 27 Jul 2009 - 12:21

Digix said,

people that currently use it care.. it's amazing!

#12.2 +Axel on 27 Jul 2009 - 12:56

That's pretty much the same message I'm presented with when attempting to use Pandora.

#12.3 Richard Herman on 27 Jul 2009 - 13:19

Sadly restrictions effect users on both sides of the Atlantic.
"We're sorry, currently our video library can only be streamed within the United States. For more information on Hulu's international availability..."

#12.4 Youngy on 28 Jul 2009 - 13:53

Richard Herman said,

Exactly, makes a change for us Brits to have some they dont in the US.

Be interesting to see if Apple approve this, will be revolt if they dont.

#13 Magallanes on 27 Jul 2009 - 12:41

WOW.. a new application for the Iphone.

I-T I-S A-W-E-S-O-M-E

#14 cpenner on 27 Jul 2009 - 13:47

Simplify Media does the same thing and I got the free version. Although, I don't believe it stores tracks offline...

(2 replies) #15 lunamonkey on 27 Jul 2009 - 14:14

so on a premium account.....

What happens if you sync up your playlists... Like hundreds of songs. Then you go offline, and it will play for you correct? Then you cancel your spotify account.

Then you never go online with Spotify again. Or you log out somehow.

#15.1 cold-peak on 27 Jul 2009 - 14:24

lunamonkey said,

I read in an article somewhere that the offline playlists only last for X amount of time

#15.2 lunamonkey on 27 Jul 2009 - 14:32

cold-peak said,

Ah, good thinking. I thought maybe X number of plays, but time-based is fair enough.

I hope it's 2 weeks or something. Then people could at least go on holiday with it without the trouble of finding WiFi.

#16 andrew_f on 27 Jul 2009 - 14:22

They allowed Last.FM which isn't TOO different from Spotify, really.

#17 hotdog963al on 27 Jul 2009 - 15:38

Wow that is AWESOME.
Spotify is the best thing that's happened to music since the internet.

#18 Ruciz on 27 Jul 2009 - 20:07

what happens with countries like Canada where spotify isn't supported?

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