Apple's massive lobbying effort saves it from new App Store rules

Apple and Google have managed to defeat a California bill that would've forced them to stop favoring their own apps in digital storefronts like the App Store. All through the power of lobbying.

The tech giants are frequently the target of legislators and regulators, trying to prevent them from being too dominant. One recent attempt to curtail the influence of Apple and Google failed to become a problem because of a massive and successful lobbying operation.

Senator Scott Wiener (D-CA) sponsored "Based Act," a bill to prevent tech companies from favoring their own apps and services when providing users with apps in the App Store and the Google Play Store, reports Bloomberg. The intention was to allow other apps to become more visible, instead of the platform owner's own services.

The bill was formed by a group of small companies backed by startup incubator Y Combinator, as well as consumer groups. However, that support was undermined by the sheer amount of lobbying Apple and Google decided to perform.

Organizations lobbying the effort included the California Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Progress, a tech industry coalition funded by Apple, Google, and others. It was apparently a big priority for Chamber of Progress for the bill to be killed.

The result was enough lobbying to put the bill to bed in just over a month of lobbyist action.

Wiener claims the lobbyists flooded the Capitol and spread misinformation about the bill. He describes it as a "tidal wave lobbying effort," putting the bill's advocates at a disadvantage.

Rapid deployment

The lobbying started while Wiener was in the middle of introducing the bill on March 18. Chamber of Progress put out a statement against the proposal before he finished speaking.

Lobbyists then started to drive constituent calls to member offices, informing them that Apple and Google's products and services could degrade if the bill passed. Ads were also run, saying that search results would be "less useful," that deliveries would be "slower," and it would also make smartphones insecure.

While Y Combinator attempted to fight the narrative, it wasn't enough to fend off lobbying from five tech trade organizations.

Tech companies also fielded representatives to fight the bill, including Apple senior director of government affairs Tim Powderly. In a letter to California lawmakers, Powderly compared the bill to Europe's Digital Markets Act.

It would, he continued, have the effect of "forcing companies to spend significant time and resources complying with regulations instead of building new products."

A vote on April 20 failed with a tech policy committee that focused on privacy, despite being approved by a different committee the previous week.

In response to the failure, California Chamber of Commerce official Ben Golombek called it a "true team effort" to take down the bill. Thanking lawmakers who voted against the bill, Golombek urged for vigilance against a "relentless" Wiener, believing that he may revive the idea at a later time.

For Wiener, it's not over, hinting to "stay tuned."

Money talks

The bill's failure is the latest instance of Apple and other tech companies hiring lobbyists to get what they want in the legislature. Considering their size, the companies spend millions on lobbying each year.

In the United States, Apple reportedly spent $10 million in 2025 alone, a record high for the company. A report in January said this was a 27.9% increase compared to 2024.

It's not just the United States that has to deal with Apple's lobbying efforts. Another report from October 2025 said that Apple spent 7 million euros ($8.1 million at the time) over the course of a year to lobby EU institutions.

It was an equal amount to what was spent on lobbying in the EU by Microsoft and Amazon. Only Meta spent more at 10 million euros ($11.6 million).

Throwing money at a legislative problem has helped Apple before. In 2024, its lobbyists helped pressurize lawmakers over a child online safety bill, alongside other tech companies.

In that instance, there were similar echoes in technique, including bombarding a legislator constantly on the matter. There were also undertones of potential lawsuits if a measure involving the App Store was retained in the final bill.