A controversial Arizona bill that would have had profound implications for Apple and Google’s app stores has been killed without a vote.

Three weeks ago, the Arizona House passed a bill that would force Apple and Google to allow third-party payment options. The bill would have prevented the two companies from forcing developers to use their in-app payment systems, and prevent the companies from forcing Arizona customers to use a particular system.

The bill was set to go to the Senate today, but the Senate never voted on it. According to one critic, a back-room deal was responsible for the bill not seeing the light of day.

The big show turned out to be a no show. The bill was killed in mid-air while on the agenda with a backroom deal. Apple has hired the governor's former chief of staff, and word is that he brokered a deal to prevent this from even being heard. #America4Sale https://t.co/XEeUMlC1zu

— DHH (@dhh) March 24, 2021

As The Verge points out, Apple and Google had both hired lobbyists to counter the bill. The bill would have had major repercussions for both companies and, short of a national consensus, would have added a prohibitively difficult layer of complexity to the app stores.

In addition, Apple has consistently argued that its stewardship of its App Store is one of the selling points of the iOS ecosystem. Because Apple has the final say, it’s able to screen apps and services, resulting in far less malicious apps on the App Store than the Google Play Store.