App Store Freedom Act

House Votes

This bill sets national rules for app stores on phones and computers. Companies that control an operating system would have to let people install apps and app stores from other sources, set them as the default, and hide or delete preinstalled apps. Developers must get the same access to system features and documentation that the company or its partners use, so they can build and update their apps fairly.

The bill would also ban forcing developers to use the company’s in‑app payments, ban “price‑matching” rules, and ban punishing developers for selling elsewhere or offering different terms. App store owners couldn’t block normal messages to users about prices and offers, and couldn’t use a developer’s private business data to copy and compete with them.

• Who is affected: Companies that own or control operating systems and their app stores, app developers, and app users.
• Key changes:
  • Users can install and set third‑party app stores and remove preloaded apps.
  • Developers get equal access to system features and info; companies must license needed IP or limit their own access to avoid IP conflicts.
  • No required use of in‑app payments; no price‑parity clauses; no punishment for off‑store sales or remote access to apps.
  • No fees or limits on developers telling users about prices and deals, with user‑consent rules applied equally to the company’s own apps.
  • App store owners can’t use developers’ nonpublic data to compete against them.
  • Enforcement by the FTC and state attorneys general; civil penalties up to $1,000,000 per violation.
  • Sets one national standard for these duties; states can’t set different rules here, but normal state contract, unfair‑competition, and data‑breach laws still apply.
  • Does not require companies to provide warranty or customer support for sideloaded apps and preserves intellectual property and national‑security protections, including limits on working with sanctioned or foreign‑adversary‑controlled apps.
  • Takes effect when the FTC issues guidance, due within 180 days of enactment.