Spotify app submitted to Apple for iPhone

Spotify - coming to an iPhone near you
Spotify - coming to an iPhone near you

Spotify has submitted its first iPhone app to Apple, and hopes to have its streaming music service on the mobile phone within the week.

According to the BBC, Spotify has finally submitted its eagerly awaited app to Apple, and will now suffer the nervous wait over approval.

The service has been a roaring success since it arrived in the UK, offering a wealth of music for no cost – using adverts within the streamed music to fund itself.

The iPhone application apparently offers the same functionality as you'd find on the desktop version, but with the extra option of saving songs onto your mobile for offline listening.

You can also stream and download playlists from other users, which means if you live in a dodgy connection area your tune loving won't be affected.

Paid for

A paid for option offers the service ad-free, and Spotify has indicated that it will be premium subscriptions only that will be able to use the service on their iPhones, although early developer versions of the application show it working free with advertisements, similar to the desktop version.

However, the application is far from assured of getting through the Apple vetting process – especially as it does not offer people the opportunity to buy tracks from iTunes.

"It's going to be very interesting to see if Apple lets this through or sees us as competition — fingers crossed," Spotify communications manager Jim Butcher told Wired.

A similar version is said to be in the pipeline for the Android OS, and it seems the likelihood of that hinges on whether the iPhone model proves to be a success.

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.