New bipartisan bill seeks to remove Apple's control over the App Store
What you need to know
- Congress has introduced a new bill that threatens Apple's and Google's control over their app stores.
- The bill would affect Apple's control over in-app payments and sideloading.
A new bill seeks to remove some of the pillars of control that Apple has over the App Store.
As reported by CNBC, a new bill called The Open App Markets Act seeks to remove Apple's ability to require developers to use its in-app payment system and also allow apps to advertise special offers that may exist outside of the App Store. It would also allow apps to be sideloaded on the iPhone.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, one of the sponsors of the new bill, said that Apple's argument around privacy as a reason for its control over the App Store is "bogus."
Apple released a statement in response to the announcement of the bill, saying that its control over the store is the reason that it has become a successful and trustworthy space for both developers and customers.
Apple has been under continuous pressure from Congress and developers recently over the control it yields over the App Store. The company is still in the middle of its lawsuit with Epic Games, which is suing the company and claiming that Apple holds monopolistic power because of its App Store policies.
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Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.