North Dakota’s state legislature disregarded the rules of the App Store and threatened one of the company’s most important businesses. Senate Bill 2333, which would require Apple to allow third-party app stores and allow developers to bypass the company, was defeated 36 – 11 in the Senate CNBC .
An Apple executive said the law “threatens to destroy the iPhone as you know it.” The bill would also have affected Google app store policies, though users would already be allowed to download apps from alternative stores.
The vote comes as Apple faces several challenges over its App Store policy, which requires developers to comply with the company’s rules. This sometimes includes opaque and a requirement that app manufacturers hand over 30 percent of the subscription and deposit revenue to Apple. Fortnite Epic Games, which is in the middle of an Apple business, supported the legislation.
Although the North Dakota bill has failed, it is hardly the end of Apple’s struggle to preserve its ‘walled garden’. Other states may consider similar legislation. Facebook is reportedly preparing its own lawsuit against the iPhone maker over its App Store rules. And regulators in the European Union also involved the company.