New Senate Bill Would Reshape App Stores

A bipartisan group of three US Senators has introduced new legislation that would place major new rules on the app stores run by Apple and Google. The Open App Markets Act would:

• Ensure users could access third-party app stores and make them the default.
• Ensure users could access third-party apps and make them the default.
• Ensure users could install third-party apps and app stores through a method other than the main app store (side-loading).
• Ensure users could hide or delete default apps, the default app store, and pre-installed apps from business partners.
• Ensure developers could use third-party systems for in-app payments.
• Ensure developers could offer more favorable pricing outside of a given app store.
• Prevent Apple and Google from giving preference to their own apps (or those of business partners) in search results and rankings.
• Prevent Apple and Google from giving their own apps special API access not available to third-party apps. This clause has special exceptions for user privacy, security, and digital safety; spam or fraud prevention; and complying with Federal or State law.

The legislation targets Apple and Google rather specifically by only applying to app stores with over 50 million users in the US. The bill was introduced by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). A similar bill is expected in the House shortly. The Open App Markets Act has been endorsed by number of technology and consumer groups, including Consumer Reports, Internet Accountability Project, Coalition for App Fairness, Lincoln Network, Digital Progress Institute, and Electronic Frontier Foundation. Apple and Google are expected to lobby heavily against the bill, as they have against similar measures at the state level.

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