Minnesota and Arizona Bills Aim to Let Developers Skirt Apple's In-App Purchase Rules

After North Dakota tried and failed to pass legislation that would have paved the way for third-party App Store options, Minnesota and Arizona have introduced new bills that would loosen Apple's control over ‌App Store‌ developers.

app store blue banner
A Minnesota bill shared by Star Tribune would force Apple and Google to keep products from Minnesotan developers on their app stores even if those developers sell them directly or through other channels, skirting current in-app purchase rules.

Supporters of the bill believe the bill would allow developers in Minnesota to avoid the commissions collected by Apple and Google.

"A lot of people are concerned about the increased influence and power that Big Tech has, and I think there's a lot of interest in trying to make sure that we have a fair and open digital economy," said Rep. Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, who is sponsoring the bill in the House.

Lobbyists for Apple and Google have allegedly already started aiming to stop the proposal. "They are loading up," said Minnesota Representative Zack Stephenson. "I understand that they have been reaching out to some of my colleagues. I heard whispers of that occurring throughout the Capitol. I think we got someone's attention."

Apple does not allow developers to use their own in-app payment systems, instead requiring all apps that sell digital goods and subscriptions to do so through Apple's in-app purchase system. Apple collects a 15 to 30 percent fee from all in-app purchases.

Under the terms of the Minnesota bill, Apple and Google would not be allowed to retaliate against a developer for using an alternative system to charge customers, which is something that Epic Games tried to do last year. Epic attempted to use a direct payment option, violating Apple's ‌App Store‌ rules and resulting in the Fortnite app being removed from the App Store.

A similar bill in Arizona would also prevent developers from being forced to use Apple and Google's in-app purchase options. As highlighted by The Information earlier this week, the bill was advanced by the Arizona House committee and will now go to a broader vote.

North Dakota's failed bill would have allowed for third-party App Stores, also giving developers an alternative to Apple and Google's in-app purchase systems and fees, but it did not pass.

Apple Chief Privacy Engineer Erik Neuenschwander advocated against the North Dakota bill, telling the senate that it "threatens to destroy the iPhone as you know it" by requiring changes that would "undermine the privacy, security, safety, and performance" of the ‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌.

U.S. antitrust regulators last year held an investigation into Apple's ‌App Store‌ fees and policies. The inquiry ultimately resulted in a 450 page report from the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee recommending new antitrust laws to address Apple's monopoly over software distribution on iOS devices. That report has not yet led to any new laws.

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
apple oct 2024 mac tease

Apple Expected to Announce These Two to Three Products 'This Week'

Sunday October 12, 2025 7:05 am PDT by
Apple plans to announce new products "this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple's "Mac Your Calendars" teaser last October In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the products set to be updated this week include the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and "likely" the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, with all three likely to receive a spec bump with Apple's next-generation M5 chip. Gurman...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
joz macbook tease

Apple Teases Upcoming M5 MacBook Pro Launch: 'Something Powerful is Coming'

Tuesday October 14, 2025 11:59 am PDT by
Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the MacBook Pro is a V, which is the Roman numeral...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....

Top Rated Comments

Cwoods Avatar
61 months ago
This is ridiculous. If you decide to be an app developer you know Apple/Google get a cut of the in-app purchases. It’s their platform, they’re allowed. If you don’t like it, don’t have in-app purchases. Pretty simple.
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmeaustend Avatar
61 months ago
Do they plan to pay for the server resources to host the games? Fortnite was free on the App Store, IAPs was the only way Apple was profiting from it. You don't sell your product in a physical store and expect to do so for free, no, the store gets a cut too. It's just how life works (and how it should remain).
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MauiPa Avatar
61 months ago
Will this also mean we can buy stuff on Amazon without paying Amazon? Yay!
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
natnorth Avatar
61 months ago

Will this also mean we can buy stuff on Amazon without paying Amazon? Yay!
I sell on Amazon and over the last 5 years I've watched their fees go from 42% of my sales to 50%... I would GLADLY pay Amazon 30% to sell!!!!
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Killbill2 Avatar
61 months ago
Follow the money of the promoters of these bills... who are lobbyists for which corporations that are doing this?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
natnorth Avatar
61 months ago

No but did you pay Microsoft or Apple when you used your Mac or PC to shop on amazon? No? Why not?

Because it is an operating system. Just like iOS and iPadOS.
Why would we pay? We don't pay Amazon for the privilege to buy from their store, we just buy! Sellers on Amazon pay Amazon not only to be able to sell on their platform but also a commission on each sale. it's the same with Apple, Steam, Google, etc... you want to sell in the store then you pay for that.

You are free to use your iPhone/iOS/Android/whatever without using the store if you don't want to... no charge!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)