Developers Alliance 2026 Lookahead

In Washington, DC, and state capitals across the country, developers are speaking up about critical policy issues impacting the app economy, including competition, age assurance, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and more.

In an increasingly digital world, it’s more important than ever to push for policies that support innovation and limit barriers to app developer success. Developers and developer-led companies made their voices heard in 2025, and momentum is building in 2026.

Critical Issues in 2026

Competition & App Economy Stability:

A thriving app economy requires stability, not constant disruption. The Developers Alliance fights to maintain the critical infrastructure developers rely on. While regulators seek to fragment distribution channels through new laws and regulations, our position remains clear: arbitrary changes increase risks and costs, harming small and mid-sized apps. Don’t just take our word for it, read opinion pieces from app-based business owners Sean Higgins and Chudi Iregbulem.

Our 2025 research, Tapping Opportunity: U.S. Businesses Use App Ecosystem to Grow, Succeed, and Innovate, also confirms that developers see integrated tools offered by major platforms as essential to developer success. Developers have spoken, warning against a patchwork of regulations that would destabilize the very platforms that enable them to reach a global audience. In 2026, these positions remain the same and continue to fuel our advocacy efforts to maintain a stable app ecosystem.

Age Assurance:

On the state and federal levels, we advocate for balanced approaches to age verification that protect children online while allowing small developers to succeed — as Arijit Sengupta outlines in the Ohio Capital Journal. One-size-fits-all approaches, as proposed in states like Ohio and Michigan, would require all apps to receive age data on all their users, create massive loopholes for pre-installed apps and adult-oriented websites, and saddle developers with high compliance costs and liability traps.

Protecting children online should be a top priority for all parents, developers, platforms, and elected officials. In 2026, we need a balanced approach that keeps kids safe online without harming small developer-led companies. Proposed federal legislation like the Parents Over Platforms Act (POPA) strikes that balance, and we will continue to urge Congress to pass this bill into law.

Artificial Intelligence Regulation:

As artificial intelligence rapidly advances, so do the attempts to regulate it. Developers made their voices heard in Maine and Utah and discussed concerns with lawmakers in Washington, DC, but the work is far from over. In 2026, we must ensure that AI regulations are clear, national, and designed to foster innovation for startups, rather than burdening them with red tape and unnecessary costs that stifle their ability to grow and actually serve their customers.

Data Privacy:

Data is everything for small companies. Leveraging anonymous data helps even the smallest of businesses find new customers, communicate effectively with existing customers, and make informed decisions.

Data privacy laws must distinguish between malicious actors and the standard operations that keep apps free, functional, and thriving. We will continue to advocate for a unified federal standard to replace the growing patchwork of state laws, ensuring that developers can focus on building innovative products rather than managing multiple compliance checklists.

Our work is far from finished. The regulatory landscape is expanding, and so are we. 2026 will bring continued efforts to pass balanced federal and state age-verification policies, as well as smart, developer-friendly AI regulations.

Together, we will ensure that 2026 is a year of continued innovation, not limitation.

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