Despite Reddit users’ protests, Reddit has moved forward with its decision to charge developers of third-party apps millions of dollars to access its API (application programming interface). As of July 1, several beloved apps are no more.
Reddit removes mods as subreddits continue protesting unpopular API changes
Which third-party Reddit apps have shut down?
One of the most popular third-party apps to shut down is Apollo. According to Apollo developer Christian Selig, he would have had to pay Reddit $20 million a year for API access (Reddit planned to charge $12,000 per 50 million API requests).
In a Reddit post(opens in a new tab) thanking users before Apollo’s shutdown, Selig wrote: “If [Reddit] wanted something that could work for everyone, they would have simply made an effort to listen, instead of being dishonest, callous, and punitive in pricing.” Many of the comments on the post say they will delete their accounts and no longer use Reddit now that Apollo is gone.
The Android equivalent of Apollo, reddit is fun (RIF), has also shut down. RIF’s farewell post(opens in a new tab) agreed with Selig’s, and criticized Reddit’s “hostile treatment of developers building on their platform.”
Other apps that have shut down in the wake of Reddit’s API policy include BaconReader(opens in a new tab), which released its last update on Android on June 27, and Sync for Reddit(opens in a new tab), which will be migrating to possible Reddit alternative Lemmy.
Which third-party Reddit apps will remain operational?
Several third-party Reddit apps will remain usable, but both will come at a price in order to offset Reddit’s API charges. However, Reddit’s API restriction of NSFW content will still apply to any of the third-party apps that remain available when the changes take effect on July 5.
Relay for Reddit will continue operations and remain free for now. However, its developer DBrady stated in a Reddit post(opens in a new tab) that Relay will be moving to a subscription model in the coming weeks, although they will attempt to “hit as low a price point as possible.” As of now, DBRady says the pro version of Relay will be available for free until a subscription model is released.
Narwhal for Reddit will also be sticking around and moving to a subscription model. Developer Rick Harrison confirmed in a post(opens in a new tab) that the app will function in the same way, albeit without ads, and cost between $4 and $7. Miloco, developer of Now for Reddit, made a similar announcement about Now for Reddit and gesture-based Nara for Reddit moving to subscriptions, although there are yet to be any updates on prices.
As first reported by The Verge(opens in a new tab), Reddit did announce it would exempt accessibility-focused apps from the new pricing policy. TechCrunch reported(opens in a new tab) that users of the subreddit r/Blind went on to assemble a list of apps that aid with Reddit’s accessibility, such as screen readers like Reddit for Blind, Luna for Reddit, and Dystopia. Dystopia announced in a post(opens in a new tab) that it would continue operating for free.
RedReader also received an accessibility exemption, although mods of r/Blind have mentioned(opens in a new tab) that they are having significant trouble signing in. Other apps on r/Blind’s list included the now-gone BaconReader and Apollo, which worked with most iOS accessibility technology.
