Senate Bill Attacks Apple, Google App Store Dominance
Bill continues struggle with Big Tech that began in 2021.
Patricia Blume

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2025 – Big Tech remains a big target on Capitol Hill.
Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Mike Lee, R-Utah, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., reintroduced Tuesday the Open App Markets Act, a bipartisan antitrust bill designed to reduce Google’s and Apple’s control over the app store market by prohibiting anti-competitive practices.
The bill would protect developers’ rights to inform consumers about lower prices and offer competitive pricing. It also seeks to promote competition by opening the market to third-party app stores, startup apps, and alternative payment systems. Additionally, it protects sideloading – the process of installing an app without going through the official app store. All of these measures seek to increase consumer choice and market competition.
FROM SPEEDING BEAD SUMMIT
Panel 1: How Are States Thinking About Reasonable Costs Now?
Panel 2: Finding the State Versus Federal Balance in BEAD
Panel 3: Reacting to the New BEAD NOFO Guidance
Panel 4: Building, Maintaining and Adopting Digital Workforce Skills
“Big Tech giants have operated as unaccountable gatekeepers of the mobile app economy, forcing American consumers to use their app stores at the expense of innovative startups that threaten their bottom line,” Blackburn said. “Our bipartisan Open App Markets Act would ensure a freer and fairer marketplace for consumers and small businesses by promoting competition in the app marketplace and opening the door to more choices and innovation.”
Originally introduced in 2021, the Open App Markets Act, was met with strong approval from public interest groups, and in 2022 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a bipartisan 20–2 vote. However, it failed to reach the Senate floor, in large part reportedly due to lobbying pressure from Google and Apple.
In 2022, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated the Act would allow “data-hungry companies” to invade consumer’s privacy and security.
Despite this pushback, lawmakers have refused to back down.
“Our bipartisan legislation will break tech giants’ ironclad grip on the app economy,” Blumenthal said. “For years, Apple and Google have acted as gatekeepers, building up anti-competitive walls to squash their competition and drive up costs for consumers."
Google and Apple have not yet responded to the bill’s introduction.