Apple would definitely let them to get into audiobooks, Spotify just doesn’t want to give them the cut. As a platform owner Spotify takes a cut from the artists, aren’t they playing the same game as Apple?
If they somehow get regulators to allow 3rd party payments on App Store, that would be a terrible thing for the users. I don’t want to start giving out my credit card number to every random company I want to purchase content from.
The UX issues Apple rules create are legit concerns though, but it just kinda feels they’re used as a veil to get to the bottom line, which is to get around the IAP system. It’s always about the money.