In mid-September, Apple accepted the audiobook replace, Spotify stated. Spotify launched the characteristic days later, promoting the 300,000 titles it was making accessible.

Mark Mahaney, a Wall Avenue analyst who tracks Spotify for the funding financial institution Evercore ISI, examined the brand new audiobook service. He discovered it to be cumbersome, requiring him to enter his fee info although Spotify already had it. He complained to Paul Vogel, Spotify’s chief monetary officer, in an e-mail.

“Why is it so dangerous?” Mr. Mahaney wrote. “And might you repair it?”

When Spotify later submitted an app replace with options unrelated to audiobooks, Apple rejected it. App Retailer reviewers instructed Spotify that the audiobooks providing, which had beforehand been accepted, violated guidelines requiring apps to make use of Apple’s fee system to unlock new options, based on Spotify.

Mr. Zicherman’s group modified the e-mail clients would obtain, stripping out the acquisition button they’d beforehand included. They changed it with an e-mail that gave clients a hyperlink to browse Spotify’s audiobook titles.

Apple rejected Spotify’s change days later, saying that providing clients a button to obtain an e-mail about different buy choices broke App Retailer guidelines. An Apple spokesman stated that Spotify additionally had a discrepancy in an exterior hyperlink in its app, which despatched individuals to a distinct net deal with than one which Apple had accepted. Spotify stated the hyperlink was unrelated to audiobooks and that it has resolved that concern.

Mr. Zicherman stated his group consulted with Spotify’s authorized workers earlier than deciding to strip out the e-mail section of the audiobook course of. As a replacement, they instructed listeners to go to Spotify’s web site to purchase a ebook.

“What now we have now could be successfully a lifeless finish,” Mr. Zicherman stated.

On Monday, Spotify stated that Apple had rejected Mr. Zicherman’s newest redesign. He and a group of product designers, engineers and attorneys labored till early Tuesday morning on 4 different choices. They stripped away Spotify’s web site and instructions for extra details about audiobooks, placing the onus on clients to go surfing and work out the best way to full a purchase order. The adjustments received Apple’s approval, Spotify stated.

“You may’t purchase audiobooks within the app,” the touchdown web page now says. “We all know, it’s not best.”