US Senate Reintroduces Open App Markets Act: Aims to Break Apple & Google’s App Store Monopoly
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The United States Senate has recently reintroduced the Open App Markets Act, once again taking aim at the longstanding monopolistic practices of Apple and Google within the app marketplace ecosystem. Should this legislation pass, it would compel both tech giants to allow sideloading, support third-party payment systems, and prohibit the preferential algorithmic promotion of their own applications.
Originally introduced in 2021 by Senators Marsha Blackburn, Richard Blumenthal, Amy Klobuchar, Dick Durbin, and Mike Lee, the bill cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2022 but ultimately stalled before reaching a full vote.
Its reintroduction underscores a renewed effort to rein in Apple and Google’s dominance over the app distribution landscape, with the goal of fostering fairer market competition.
Under its updated provisions, the Open App Markets Act would apply to app marketplaces with more than 50,000 monthly active users—explicitly targeting Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store. Key requirements include permitting users to install apps via sideloading rather than being restricted to official marketplaces, mandating support for third-party payment providers, and banning the practice of prioritizing the platform’s own apps in search results.
Furthermore, the bill seeks to safeguard developers’ pricing autonomy, allowing them to directly communicate discounts or promotional offers available through external platforms, thereby mitigating pricing control by dominant market players.
The European Union has already moved in a similar direction through its Digital Markets Act, which took effect in 2022 and obliges Apple to open its App Store to alternative payment methods and external offers. In the U.S., Apple’s policies have faced similar scrutiny, particularly in the wake of its legal battle with Epic Games, which led to court-mandated requirements to support third-party payments and allow external promotional communication.
If enacted, the Open App Markets Act would significantly reshape the U.S. app distribution landscape, granting developers greater commercial freedom while challenging the entrenched dominance of Apple and Google in the software marketplace.
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