U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approves yet another antitrust bill that would allow sideloading on iOS

Recently, there has been a concerted effort by those in positions to make changes, to make changes to Apple’s App Store. Namely, to essentially change how the digital storefront works, the rules in place governing charges and much more. And now the United States Senate Judiciary Committee has made another move to reach similar goals.

Apple's marketing image showing a 3D icon for the App Store set against a blue gradient background

Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has approved another antitrust bill that would force Apple to allow sideloading apps on iOS. The bipartisan Open App Market Act would make it so Apple would also need to allow for alternative, third-party payment options in the App Store in the future as well.

With this approval from the committee, it will now move to the Senate floor where it will undergo another around of voting.

This is not the only bill of its kind, or similar in nature. Just last month the same Senate Judiciary Committee also approved the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. That bill would also make it so Apple would have to allow for sideloading of apps on iPhones.

Of course, Apple has gone on record as saying that changing this particular rule for iPhone would open the floodgates for all sorts of harmful software and malicious attacks on the mobile platform. Apple has never been shy about the privacy and security measures that are present on iPhone, and iOS in general, and the company says that making these changes would essentially render them moot.

We’ll just need to wait and see how this one pans out. Do you think Apple should make it possible to sideload apps on an iPhone?