Open App Markets Act Reintroduced
A bipartisan group of senators has reintroduced the 2021 Open App Markets Act, a bill aimed at curbing the gatekeeper power that Apple and Google hold over the so-called “mobile app economy.” Here’s what they’re going for.
If passed, the legislation would effectively force Apple and Google (who are not specifically named in the text) to allow sideloading, support third-party app stores, permit alternate payment systems, and stop penalizing developers for telling users about better prices elsewhere.
The bill’s reintroduction was made by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
Previously:
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First, I'm all for this to pass. Period.
But to continue with my snakiness (see above post comment) I simply had to check out the ages of these five who are sponsoring this non partisan bill... in order of listing, they are 73, 79, 54, 65, 80, making an average age of 70.2. Social Security caps at a younger age by 0.2 years. I get there's a constitutional limit on senators being at least 30 years of age, but the youngest (Mike Lee) of these five was 30 in 2001, almost decade before any app store existed!
I really don't think there's a question that there's a "mobile app economy" nor that there is a duopoly stranglehold of it.
At this point it's highly analogous to the railroads. Yes they were privately built (technically, glossing over lotta details), the builders got plenty of profit from it, at some point raw capitalism had to be regulated a little for the public interest.
Natural monopolies and all that, I remember how cutthroat it was getting here, but an argument could be made that there is only naturally room for so many mobile operating systems. No point running multiple electrical cables, water lines, sewer lines, etc.
But there's a reason all those things are either public or heavily regulated.
Someone tell me why we aren't at that point with the smartphone and its apps. You can ride a horse and drink well water and live by firelight and live without a smartphone. But that's not tenable for the population at large anymore.
In fact if you do any of those things too much, including and especially not having a smartphone, people (government) start to treat you like you're crazy.
New Apple open-markets pricing model just dropped:
Apple Again Changes EU App Store Rules and Fees to Comply With DMA
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/26/app-store-eu-rule-change-dma/
https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=awedznci
TL;DR, from my quick skim, and I’m gonna use a restaurant metaphor:
- Sure, open markets, but no more all-you-can-eat buffet for $99/year and 30%.
- It’s now ala carte, based on what you consume. No more free updates, reviews, etc. via the app store unless you pay for it (via commissions).
- Big devs, you have to pay 0.5 euro/year for your plate if you want to link out to your own payment systems. You still have to tack and pay acquisition commissions.
- Everyone in EU switches over to this Jan 1, 2026
Preview for the USA? It’s definitely not elegant, but perhaps what (some) devs have been asking for.
