What you need to know
- The Open App Markets Act has been approved by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The bill will now head to the Senate floor for a full vote.
- It would allow apps to be installed on the iPhone outside of the App Store.
A bill that would allow sideloading on the iPhone is one step closer to becoming law.
In an update on Twitter, Senator Marsha Blackburn announced that the Open App Markets Act has passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee and is one step closer to becoming reality for all of us.
"The passage of the Open App Markets Act out of the Senate Judiciary Committee brings us one step closer to having this legislation signed into law. This bill will let people download apps directly from outside companies rather than being forced to go through official app stores."
The passage of the Open App Markets Act out of the Senate Judiciary committee brings us one step closer to having this legislation signed into law. This bill will let people download apps directly from outside companies rather than being forced to go through official app stores.The passage of the Open App Markets Act out of the Senate Judiciary committee brings us one step closer to having this legislation signed into law. This bill will let people download apps directly from outside companies rather than being forced to go through official app stores.— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) February 3, 2022February 3, 2022
Apple has been pushing back against the bill, recently writing that, if the bill was passed by Congress, it would result in "malware, scams and data-exploitation to proliferate" on the iPhone and iPad.
"We are deeply concerned that the legislation, unless amended, would make it easier for big social media platforms to avoid the pro-consumer practices of Apple's App Store, and allow them to continue business as usual," Tim Powderly, the company's head of government affairs in the Americas, wrote in the letter."Sideloading would enable bad actors to evade Apple's privacy and security protections by distributing apps without critical privacy and security checks," he said. "These provisions would allow malware, scams and data-exploitation to proliferate."
The bill will now head to the Senate for a full floor vote. If passed into law, users would be able to download apps outside of the App Store onto the iPhone for the first time.
