Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Subreddit r/Android is back after a blackout protest, but still in a restricted mode.
- The moderators want to know what they should do with the sub going forward.
- The announcement also includes an apology for not allowing the community to give input on the blackout.
If you’ve visited the subreddit r/Android over the past week, you’ve faced a closed-off community. The moderators chose to join the blackout protest of Reddit’s upcoming API changes. Now, though, that protest is winding down as moderators grapple with the idea that Reddit will not back down from its plans — even if that means removing mods and replacing them with more pliable folks.
Today, the unofficial Android subreddit is back. However, it is still in restricted mode, which means you will need to place a request with the mod team in order to post new content. Commenting on existing content, however, is fine.
Along with moving the subreddit from “dark” to “restricted,” the moderators also posted a lengthy statement. In the statement, the team explains the reasoning behind going dark originally as well as the decision to continue to stay dark after the initial 48-hour period. The team also apologizes for not having the r/Android community be more involved in those decisions.
Now, the mods are looking for input from Android fans on what should happen next. Here is a particularly important bit from the statement:
As moderators, while we encourage the users to continue protesting in their own way and we still stand in solidarity with all users and developers of 3rd party apps, we will be following the community’s wishes.
In other words, if a majority of users want the subreddit back open, then the mods will do that. If not, the mods will leave it in a restricted mode or possibly even go back to being fully private. There is no simple poll to take, but the comments are open for discussion.
