Reddit is arguably the largest discussion forum on the web. According to Similarweb, it ranks 20th in the most visited websites in the world. Part of the reason Reddit is so popular is its cohesive ecosystem maintained by users, moderators, third-party app developers, and Reddit administrators (the group of companies behind the platform). ) all work together. So it’s no surprise that after Reddit announced its new API policy and pricing system, the entire ecosystem fell into chaos due to the outcry against the move.
A perfect example came yesterday, June 12, when many major subreddits going private caused a Reddit blackout, the site experienced one of the biggest outages and users frustrated by not being able to access their favorite community. And it was all sparked by a single event – a third party application announced that they are shutting down their services.
At the forefront of this outage is Apollo, an iOS-based third-party app for Reddit. Its developer Christian Selig has stated that the app will be shut down after June 30 as it will require him to spend $20 million annually just to keep the app up and running, a higher amount much more than he earns from the app. But Apollo isn’t the only app that does.
Rif was interesting when Reddit announced that it would be closing by June 30
Interesting Rifles for Reddit (previously Reddit was fun) for Android is what Apollo is for iOS. With over 5 million downloads, it is one of the most popular third-party apps for the platform, and with the developer actively releasing regular updates, many users are already using it as a tool. main mode to access Reddit.
However, shocking to its user base, its developer, who uses the username talklittle on Reddit, announced that the application will close by June 30.
In the post, he said, “RIF will be shutting down on June 30, 2023, in response reddit group API changes and their hostile treatment of developers building on their platform.”
He also added that the Reddit corporate team refused to compromise on all the points raised by him.
Talklitte raised three concerns. First, did third-party app developers like Apollo and Rif not make the numbers money they will have to pay the company. Second, the new API policy blocked ads in third-party apps, which effectively prevented these developers’ main source of revenue, and third, the removal of NSFW (unsafe) content. for work) from third-party applications will act as a deterrent to users wanting to access third-party applications.
Users’ reactions to Rif’s announcements are amusing
One user commented: “RIF is the most used app on my phone. I paid for the premium version a long time ago and it was the best app purchase I’ve ever made. To say it will be missed is an overstatement.”
Another user said that this will prevent them from using Reddit entirely on mobile devices. They said: “This proves that I will not use reddit on mobile anymore. This app is the only way I can tolerate mobile viewing. Ty for years of service.”
“I never thought that the app I downloaded in high school to read this rage manga would stick with me throughout my adult life thus far. The RIF is a premium product with a simple yet elegant design, and it’s heartbreaking to see it go like this,” said one user.
It should be noted that there are other third-party apps like ReddPlanet and Sync that will also be shutting down before June 30.
