Overview
- On June 25, 2025, Senators Marsha Blackburn, Richard Blumenthal, Mike Lee, Amy Klobuchar and Dick Durbin reintroduced the Open App Markets Act to curb Apple’s and Google’s gatekeeper control
- The legislation targets app stores with 50,000 monthly users or more, a threshold that covers the Apple App Store and Google Play Store
- Provisions would force support for third-party app stores, require sideloading and permit alternative payment systems while prohibiting penalties for developers who advertise lower prices
- Leading developers including Epic Games and Spotify along with advocacy groups such as the American Economic Liberties Project have backed the bill as a means to boost competition
- Apple and Google have vowed to oppose the legislation and it must still pass both chambers of Congress before reaching the president’s desk