Spotify has been forced to apologise following a backlash against "creepy" new privacy settings.
New terms and conditions for the music streaming service asked users to give permission for the firm to access information including their photos, GPS co-ordinates and contacts.
The update prompted many to suggest the move was an invasion of privacy and led to some threatening to end their subscriptions.
On Friday afternoon, around 24 hours after the introduction of the policy, the company's chief executive Daniel Ek penned a blog post entitled "Sorry" in which he apologised for the confusion and stressed Spotify was "100 per cent committed" to protecting its users' privacy.
"We should have done a better job in communicating what these policies mean and how any information you choose to share will – and will not – be used," he wrote.
"In our new privacy policy, we indicated that we may ask your permission to access new types of information, including photos, mobile device location, voice controls, and your contacts.
"Let me be crystal clear here: If you don’t want to share this kind of information, you don’t have to.
"We will ask for your express permission before accessing any of this data – and we will only use it for specific purposes that will allow you to customize your Spotify experience."
He went on to add that that photos, for example, would never be accessed without explicit permission.
If users agreed, the function would enable them to use customising features such as adding personal cover art to a playlist, he said.
He added: "We have heard your concerns loud and clear. We are also going to update the new privacy policy in the coming weeks to better reflect what we have explained above."
