Florida Lawmaker Challenges Apple's App Store Dominance with New Legislation

Florida Lawmaker Proposes Bill to Force Apple to Allow Third-Party App Stores

U.S. Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) has introduced the App Store Freedom Act, targeting major app store operators with over 100 million U.S. users, including the App Store. The bill aims to boost competition and consumer choice in the mobile app marketplace by requiring these companies to:

• Allow users to install third-party app stores and designate them as default.
• Grant developers equal access to development tools.
• Permit the use of third-party payment systems.
• Enable users to remove or hide pre-installed apps (a feature Apple already supports).
• Prevent app stores from forcing developers to use their in-app payment systems, impose pricing parity requirements, or punish developers for distributing their apps elsewhere.

Violations of these provisions could result in penalties from the Federal Trade Commission and civil fines up to $1 million per infraction. The bill has the support of the Coalition for App Fairness, which includes companies like Epic Games, Spotify, and Match.

Context and Impact

While recent court decisions have led to changes in Apple’s App Store policies, U.S. legislation has not yet had a significant impact. However, Apple is currently facing a major antitrust lawsuit from the Department of Justice, which could potentially challenge the foundation of its business model.