A new bill would force Apple to allow third-party app stores

Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) introduced a bill Tuesday that would require “large app store operators” like Apple to let users install third-party app stores and set them as their default. The bill, called the App Store Freedom Act, aims to “promote competition and protect consumers and developers in the mobile app marketplace,” according to a press release on Tuesday.

Though the bill doesn’t mention Apple by name, it carves out rules for “large app store operators,” which it defines as app stores having more than 100 million users in the US. The bill would target Google’s practices as well, as it would force major app stores to let developers use third-party payment systems.

It would also require Apple and Google to offer developers “equal access to interfaces, features, and development tools without cost or discrimination,” as well as allow users to remove or hide pre-installed apps. Violations of the bill would result in penalties from the Federal Trade Commission, along with an additional civil penalty of up to $1 million for each violation.

The European Union has introduced similar legislation that has forced Apple to let users download third-party app stores and change their default apps. Last week, Apple started allowing developers to link to outside payments in response to a ruling in the Epic v. Apple case. Google has also made changes after the EU’s regulations went into effect, including adding a new browser choice screen when users set up their device for the first time.

“Dominant app stores have controlled customer data and forced consumers to use the marketplaces’ own merchant services, instead of the native, in-app offerings provided by the applications and developers themselves,” Cammack said in the press release. The results are higher prices and limited selections for consumers and anti-competitive practices for developers that have stifled innovation.”