On July 1, several third-party Reddit apps, including the popular client Apollo, became unavailable as new API rules were implemented. Despite a month of community backlash, protests, and unrest, Reddit went ahead with increased API pricing, leading developers to shut down their third-party clients or switch to a subscription model to cope with the rising costs.
Christian Selig, the developer of Apollo, expressed appreciation for the app’s users while criticizing Reddit for disregarding their needs. Selig believed that Reddit could have made more effort to understand its users instead of implementing pricing that was seen as dishonest, uncaring, and punitive. The new rules would have required Selig to spend $20 million annually to maintain Apollo, which was not feasible even with subscription earnings.
Another Reddit client, Rif is fun for Reddit, also announced its shutdown after 10 years of service. The app had amassed over 5 million downloads on the Google Play store. BaconReader, another widely used Reddit app, faced a similar fate due to changes in the Reddit API. Sync for Reddit has also been affected, and its users have been notified of its impending shutdown.
While two third-party clients will remain available, they will require payment to cover API access costs. Relay for Reddit plans to transition to a subscription model to sustain its operations, with a commitment to offering affordable options. Now for Reddit also intends to introduce subscriptions to cover API access expenses but has not provided a specific timeline.
In April, Reddit announced that it would start charging companies for API access to compensate for data used in developing large language models for generative AI. Reddit’s CEO, Steve Huffman, emphasized the value of Reddit’s data and the need to avoid offering it for free to major companies. However, this change has affected third-party clients, forcing them to either pay for access or cease their services.
