Important: App review and quota extension waiting times

[Nikola]

The Spotify for developers platform helps many bring their ideas to life. Whether it's a short term app helping an artist’s release or something more long term - there is always a chance of success. Things start to grow and then you might also need what we call a quota extension.

When you request a quota extension or you're simply waiting for your app to be reviewed, there is a follow up process that sets certain limits with the sole purpose of making things fair, better functioning and with an optimal level of user-experience quality.

During this process a few questions may arise. Such as:

• How long does it take to review my submission? 

During peak periods, it may take longer than six weeks. 

• Why does it take that long?

The review and extension request process is an iterative process. It is a matter of the developer and the Spotify team finding exactly where things need to be in order for the application to find its audience.

• What can I do as a developer to speed up the process? 

Make sure everything in your request is clear and correct, that you’re providing enough and correct information, adhering to Spotify’s developer terms, policies and design guidelines. If your request is rejected and needs to be resubmitted, an SLA of another 6 weeks will be applied after resubmission. Therefore the more attention and efforts you put into submitting a fully correct request from the beginning - the better are the chances that you will not have to resubmit and save precious time.

• An example of adhering to terms and conditions is our updated terms on using Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models (AI/LLM) when consuming the Spotify API. Since this is a new and emerging field, we felt it was important to update the Terms of Service to clarify that using Spotify data or information to train models is outside the scope of what the platform is built for.

• Does it help for me to reach out to other teams about this issue? 

It will not help a developer to try to reach out to other Spotify teams to get their request expedited or a question answered. We are the dedicated point of contact who can approve your request and involving other teams may actually interfere with the process. It's best to follow the instructions outlined above and you will receive an answer as soon as possible.

• What do I do if my submission gets rejected?

Don’t despair just yet. You will receive an email with applied rejection reasons, and further instructions on how (if) to proceed. Please make sure to read the email thoroughly to understand the reasons for rejection, and possible next steps. If a change can be made to be compliant, simply make the change and resubmit your request. As mentioned above - another review timeline of 6 weeks will be applied upon resubmission. You can navigate in the best way using the email and other applicable resources such as the Dev Terms, Dev Policy or Design Guidelines. 

Please keep in mind that if you’re waiting for an answer to an email you’ve sent us - our Developer email will not be monitored for an extended period during this summer. But it’s highly probable that your question will be answered by the topics covered above. You can also refer to the Spotify for developers general questions: 

- WebAPI Documentation

- App Modes

- Developer Terms

- Developer Policy

- Design Guidelines

- App Reviews Instructions

- Community Forum for specific questions

Thank you for your understanding and patience. Take care!

[JOEEEEE]

what was the issue 

[Naianasha]

Hello friends. Despite my many frustrations with the Spotify API and extension request process, I'm happy to share that my second app was finally approved after 4.5 months.

My first request was rejected on the grounds of "Metadata, cover art and audio content must be accompanied by a Spotify logo and a link back to the applicable artist, album, track, or playlist on the Spotify Service." I was able to satisfy this requirement by adding a bunch of Spotify links and logos wherever applicable. 

If anyone is interested in seeing examples of accepted apps, mine are https://hyperdiscog.holidaypuzzles.co.za and https://lasthop.holidaypuzzles.co.za

Don't lose hope -- the process is slow and the API is frustrating, but they are working through the extension requests.

[srvaroa]

Got the approval! 1st try took ~4 months, second 1.5.

It is usable on web but lots to polish now! http://playlisthospital.com

[kevinu]

We submitted the app one year ago this month, in September 2023. It was rejected in November 2023 with the explanation:

"Metadata, cover art, and audio content must be accompanied by a Spotify logo and a link back to the applicable artist, album, track, or playlist on the Spotify service."

That was the only issue they mentioned. So, we corrected that one thing and resubmitted the app without changing anything else. In February 2024, the app was rejected again, with the following feedback:

"You need to provide us with a fully working application that demonstrates all the core functionality. Please provide us with a detailed screencast of the application in your next submission."

The screencast had already been included. They also stated, "Do not use the Spotify Platform or any Spotify Content to train a machine learning..." which the app did not do. It was literally the exact same app we submitted previously, except for the metadata fix they had requested. Neither points in their new feedback had been asked for in their previous assessment of the app, completely wasting 6 months.

After more than 10 emails to the escalations and dev teams, the dev team asked for a screencast again in March 2024. We emailed it to them a few days later. We never heard from them again.   

A year after the initial submission and around 20 emails later, Spotify has stopped responding entirely, providing no help on what to do. 

[BaltaJmn]

Hi @Nikola, my requestion has been on hold for two months now, which is already a few days longer than the maximum that could be expected at peak periods. Is there any way to know the status? My app is uploaded to the play store to facilitate the whole process.

[adilanchian]

So just to make sure i'm clear on this —

We should be expected to wait 6 weeks, minimum, to hear back from you all?

[adilanchian]

this is absolutely insane lol...

[SkillBoxSB]

its been over 6 weeks (July 24, 2024). I've not received any mail from the Spotify Team. Yet not review our app.Please do it ASAP.

[nathancheshire]

Seems pretty unfair, I waited over 8 weeks to have mine rejected simply because I checked the wrong box of my app using Spotify in conjunction with Apple Music.... which as far as I can tell is allowed.... but that was the reason Spotify cited for rejecting it, give me a break, that's pretty unprofessional and needlessly hostile.

[NielsLangeveld]

I’m developing a web app that integrates with the Spotify API. The base framework of the web app allows other parties (such as festivals and artist) to customize certain elements like their logos, branding, etc., but all interactions still go through our API and website. This web app can be used by others for their marketing, so the stability of Spotify’s API is crucial for us.

I have a few questions about the reliability of the API key once it has been approved for public use:

• How stable is the API key after being approved? Could it be suddenly revoked or cut off by Spotify without warning?
• Under what conditions might Spotify decide to revoke access to the public API?
• Are there any best practices we should follow to minimize the risk of disruptions, especially since our clients depend on the API integration for their projects?

I want to ensure we take every precaution to avoid unexpected issues that could impact our projects.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[user-removed]

Hello,

Mine has been stuck for more than 6 weeks now and no response or decision has been made yet. I understand that it can take longer than 6 weeks, but also saw people waiting for 3 months, that seems to be way too slow to get anything done or to finally release the app that's based on Spotify primarily. Is there any way to get this solved faster? Or the timeframe will still be unknown? I did provide all the instructions of how to test, access and use the app.

[alpistos]

There’s really not much left to say. Every day, giants like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter likely receive thousands of app review requests. I'm certain the number they receive far exceeds that of Spotify. Yet, these companies manage to review your application and provide meaningful feedback within a few weeks at most.

Based on the responses I've read, seeing that apps are rejected after 2-3 months of review without even sending an email is truly disheartening. For a company as large as Spotify to fall so short in this regard makes me seriously question things.

My application has also been in review for over six weeks, and I still haven’t heard a thing.

[henrynguyen7]

Clocking in at 9 weeks for no review and no status update here: 

[agentcontacts]

Hi Nikola, my team had our quota extension reviewed and accepted in August. After this, we promptly submitted the scope extension for review. It's been over 3 months now since our quota extension has been reviewed and accepted. Is it typical to wait this long between quota and scope review? There has been a banner that says 'sorry for the delay, someone will reach out' for 6+ weeks and no one has reached out and I dont see any email to ask or phone number to call. Very frustrated with the experience. I was able to integrate the same use cases for Apple Music into my app in one week from start to finish. 

[alpistos]

Did you get any response?

[adilanchian]

same boat. 

[rotemd1]

waiting for 3 months and still counting 😕

[winneroyal]

Why those that submit don't share the apps here is beyond me. It is not feasible to submit an application correctly the first time. Everyone would want to test with actual people and other developers, wouldn't they? 

[Chris_web]

Did you get the answer from Spotify team?

[adilanchian]

got my reply yesterday — rejected because my iOS testflight builds only last 90 days lol.

submitted august 18th and replied november 9th.

almost 4 month waiting period to just be put to the back of the queue. honestly, not quite sure what to do that this point. truly wish there was a better way to do this.

if anyone from the spotify team is here, i beg you, please help us build**bleep** with your product. we all wouldn't be here if we didn't think spotify was sick. but, this entire experience is not it.