Senate bill would stop Apple and Google’s total control over in-app payments

A bipartisan group of US senators introduced legislation to reshape how app markets work in the United States. Written by Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and co-sponsored by Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Senate antitrust subcommittee, the bill “would prevent app stores from disadvantaging developers.”

The Open App Markets Act reads like a wishlist of items that groups like the Coalition for App Fairness have championed in their fight against Apple and Google. It is therefore not surprising that the organization voted in favor of the bill. One of the most notable provisions included in the current iteration of the bill is a clause that would prohibit owners of app marketplaces from forcing third-party developers to use a payment system that they own. Another provision aimed almost exclusively at Apple would require platform owners to allow consumers to download software and install third-party app stores.

Payment systems have been one of the issues at the heart of the recent antitrust movement. Apple kicked Epic Games from the App Store after the studio implemented a way to fortnitee players to bypass his 30 percent charge. Google, meanwhile, announced in late 2020 that it would give developers until the end of the year to make their apps compliant with the Play Store billing system.

“The legislation would help create a more competitive app market that spurs innovation in the digital economy and provides more options for US consumers,” the Coalition for App Fairness said in a statement.

Outside of the CAF, organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Internet Accountability Project are supporting the bill. Of course, introducing a bill and passing it are two very different things. You can be sure Apple and Google will push to relax the Open App Markets Act as it threatens the way they do business.