Congress moves to ban China-controlled apps on federal devices, with strict security exceptions

Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Introduced in House

OMB issues guidance on how the covered-app list will be created and updated

This is the rulebook agencies will follow to decide which apps count as “covered,” and how often the list changes—this drives when removals start.

Agencies publish their own guidance for exceptions (research/intelligence use) with cybersecurity safeguards

If your job needs controlled access to a covered app for required research or intelligence work, this guidance sets the approval process and the extra safety steps.

OMB updates guidance every 180 days after the initial guidance

The covered-app approach becomes ongoing, meaning an app that is fine today could be added later, triggering removals on a schedule.

Agencies remove a specific app from federal devices after it is identified as “covered”

If you have that app on your government phone/laptop, it must be uninstalled within 60 days, and you may have to move to a different tool quickly.