What you need to know
- Popular third-party Reddit apps are being shut down on June 30.
- This comes after Reddit announced API changes resulting in astronomical charges for app developers.
- Sync for Reddit, Reddit is Fun (RIF), and Apollo for Reddit on iOS will all cease to operate after this month.
Reddit recently announced changes to its own API that would block ads in third-party apps, along with a massive increase in API costs. Earlier today, Christian Selig, creator of the third-party Reddit app Apollo, posted on the official Apollo subreddit stating that the app would no longer work after June 30 due to the changes.
This entire saga was brought into the spotlight courtesy of Selig, detailing how the API cost increases would affect the third-party Reddit app. I really can’t put this any better than Selig, who stated, “Apollo made 7 billion requests last month, which would put it at about 1.7 million dollars per month, or 20 million US dollars per year.”
“Even if I only kept subscription users, the average Apollo user uses 344 requests per day, which would cost $2.50 per month, which is over double what the subscription currently costs, so I’d be in the red every month.”
Technically, Reddit wouldn’t begin charging developers until August. However, it seems that “significant charges for the API will start building up with 30 days notice on July 1st.” So in order to avoid the potential bill altogether, Selig, along with the developers of Reddit is Fun and Sync for Reddit, have decided to close up shop.
Besides the massive shift in API costs, there are other problems that these developers have with Reddit’s official changes. These include things such as being unable to show ads in third-party apps, along with the removal of sexual or NSFW content. The problem is that the official Reddit client for both iOS and Android shows ads and provides access to NSFW content currently, which is obviously a “do as I say, not as I do” situation.
Of course, these three apps aren’t the only ones available on either iOS or Android, but they are some of the most popular. As noted by 9to5Google, other apps have not shared an official decision on whether they will also be shut down. However, even with many subreddits planning to protest by performing lockdowns on June 12, as it currently stands, it doesn’t feel as though the Reddit overlords have any plans of reversing course.
This year has not been kind to those who enjoy third-party clients using and interacting with services like Twitter and Reddit. Earlier this year, Twitter changed its developer agreement which removed the ability for third-party apps like Fenix and others to work.
