In a move that could reshape how millions of Americans interact with their smartphones, Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) introduced the App Store Freedom Act on Tuesday a bill designed to level the playing field in the mobile app economy by cracking open the tightly controlled ecosystems run by Apple and Google.
Though the bill doesn’t name either company outright, its language leaves little to the imagination. Any “large app store operator” with over 100 million U.S. users would fall under its jurisdiction and that means Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store are squarely in the crosshairs.
At its heart, the bill aims to restore competition and choice to an environment that, critics say, has become monopolistic. “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 a press release. “The results are higher prices and limited selections for consumers and anti-competitive practices for developers that have stifled innovation.”
What the Bill Would Do
The App Store Freedom Act would require Apple and Google to allow users to download and install third-party app stores not just as optional side features but as replacements that users could set as defaults. That means a user could, for instance, make Epic Games’ own app store the go-to destination for mobile downloads, bypassing the App Store or Google Play entirely.
But it doesn’t stop there. The bill would also:
* Prohibit restrictions on third-party payment systems, allowing developers to use their own in-app billing options something companies like Spotify and Epic Games have long pushed for.
* Demand equal access to APIs, development tools, and interfaces, without cost or discrimination ensuring smaller developers have the same tools as the tech giants.
* Allow users to delete or hide pre-installed apps, a feature already common in other parts of the world but still limited on many U.S. devices.
* Enforce strict penalties, with potential FTC enforcement and civil fines of up to $1 million per violation.
For consumers, this could mean a very different mobile experience one where you can freely choose how you download apps, what payment method you use, and which apps live on your home screen.
This legislation doesn’t come out of the blue. Over the past several years, a growing chorus of critics has argued that Apple and Google wield far too much control over how apps are distributed, monetized, and maintained on mobile devices.
In Apple’s case, the company’s “walled garden” approach has been both praised for its security and criticized for being overly restrictive. Developers must use Apple’s payment systems, give up a cut of up to 30% in commissions, and abide by tight rules on app functionality. Google, while slightly more flexible, still demands a piece of the revenue pie and has been accused of favoring its own apps over competitors.
International pressure is already forcing change. The European Union’s Digital Markets Act has compelled Apple and Google to begin allowing third-party app stores and alternate payment options. In response, Apple recently began letting developers include external payment links following the Epic Games antitrust ruling a landmark legal battle where the courts partially sided with Epic in its fight for a more open ecosystem.
Google, too, has had to adjust. It introduced a “choice screen” for browsers and default apps after regulatory mandates in the EU.
But the U.S., long seen as tech’s unregulated Wild West, is just now catching up. If passed, this bill would be a major milestone in holding tech giants accountable domestically.
A Win for Developers and Users?
Developers have long argued that they’re trapped in a system where the gatekeepers charge high tolls and dictate the terms. Independent developers, especially those with narrow margins, often say the 15–30% cut taken by app stores can make or break their business.
By allowing third-party payment systems, the App Store Freedom Act could empower developers to retain more of their earnings and offer more competitive pricing. That could lead to lower costs and better services for users, proponents argue.
However, critics of the bill might argue that loosening restrictions opens the door to more security vulnerabilities and fragmented user experiences something Apple has leaned on heavily in its defense of its closed ecosystem.
Whether this bill gains traction remains to be seen. Tech lobbying is strong, and previous efforts to regulate Big Tech in Congress have stalled. Still, the bipartisan appetite for taking on the digital monopolies has grown stronger in recent years, and public sentiment has begun to shift.
As smartphones continue to dominate nearly every aspect of daily life from banking to health care, entertainment to education the call for choice and transparency is becoming louder. With the App Store Freedom Act, the U.S. may finally be taking its first serious step toward an open mobile future.
