Spotify encourages customers to bypass Apple's App Store, save $3 per month on subscriptions

Spotify charges Premium subscribers through iOS $12.99 per month because of Apple's 30 percent fee on all purchases, including ongoing subscription. But customers who sign up through the company's website pay just $9.99 per month.

At $12.99 per month, Spotify subscribers on iOS are paying more than they would for Apple's competing Apple Music, which is priced at $9.99. That's likely a major reason why Spotify began emailing subscribers this week, telling them to convert their subscriptions and save money. The emails were first noted by The Verge.

Earlier this year, an unnamed source allegedly from Spotify expressed frustration over Apple's cut of App Store sales, asserting that the 30 percent fees would prevent the service from competing with the then-forthcoming Apple Music.

Compounding the issue is the fact that Apple's App Store rules prevent apps from linking to external storefronts. That's what has apparently led Spotify to emailing customers directly, bypassing Apple's policies entirely.

Similar arguments also arose when the App Store first began allowing in-app subscriptions. At the time, however, complaints were mostly from magazines and newspapers.