Spotify clamps down on modded apps
Spotify ‘outage’ exposes unofficial Spotify accounts, leaving many unable to access the service.
What happened?
If you saw reports about Spotify being down earlier this month, you weren’t alone. Users started reporting issues with Spotify around March 3rd. It first seemed like there was major disruption to the service, but it has since emerged that only those using unofficial, cracked versions of the app were affected.
The ‘outage’ appears targeted at those using unofficial Spotify Premium APK’s, which are modded android versions of the app that enables users to access Spotify’s premium features without paying for them. While Spotify hasn’t officially confirmed the crackdown, all signs point to it being an intentional move to block these unauthorized users.
Who got hit the hardest?
It’s difficult to know how many people were impacted, but Google Trends data gives us some insight. Searches for Spotify outages increased dramatically, topping any Spotify-related search in the last 90 days. The countries that have shown the most interest recently were Ukraine, Belarus, Italy, Poland, and Moldova- suggesting these areas had users reliant on modded apps.
Why did Spotify take action?
The reason Spotify is taking action is fairly obvious: to crackdown on illegitimate users of its platform. Spotify’s terms and conditions make it clear that modded apps are a no-go, and this crackdown looks like an effort to enforce those rules. Interestingly, rather than banning users outright Spotify seems to be letting these users access their free, ad-supported tier instead.
On top of this, Spotify recently restricted access to data for third-party developers “with the aim of creating a more secure platform”. However, some believe the move is also meant to prevent AI developers from scraping music data.
Will it actually have a long-term impact?
While Spotify may have restricted the use across some APK’s for now, it is unlikely to have a long-term impact. Blocking modded apps is difficult as new versions will pop up as soon as the previous one is disabled.
It’s a bit ironic given that Spotify was originally designed to combat piracy by giving users an affordable way to access music legally online. While streaming has significantly reduced music piracy overall, this proves that some people are still willing to risk alternatives to access premium music subscriptions for free.
