Popular Reddit App Apollo Shutting Down After Today, Pixel Pals Migration Feature Added

[Macaholic868]

A single developer and you act like $20 million is a drop in the bucket for someone to pay each year. Even if he had to raise the rates by an obscene amount to compensate. People will complain and say it is to much making it not worth it even being as good as it is. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t scenario. Apollo is riding into the sunset. That being said, deleted the app and Reddit account never to come back on Reddit. It’s doing a good job of self implosion atm any ways. I did buy a Pixel Pals yearly subscription to support development and I do enjoy the app itself.

The article clearly says he said that there “was not enough time to change Apollo's business model and make the necessary updates to accommodate the fees”.

If the fees are too much as you say they are then why didn’t he just say that? So the question I asked is valid. If there wasn’t enough time for a smooth transition and he had to shut it down why not take the time to make the changes then bring it back to market again?

If he doesn’t think he’d make enough back after going that route to justify the hassle that’s fine but he hasn’t come out and said that. You’re inferring that and you might be right but it could also be that the whole move left a bad taste in his mouth and he doesn’t want to deal with a company willing to change the rules of the game like that again in the future. So which is it? That’s all I was asking.

This isn’t criticism of the developer who clearly tried to negotiate the transition in good faith. This is clearly on Reddit but the original question stands.

 

[shawnforever]

Apollo was a genuinely bad app. It looked terrible— like something an Android user might like. The official Reddit app looks great and does a fine job for most users. I was way more upset about the death of Tweetbot. The official Twitter app does not let me browse by lists because it doesn't remember where I left off in the list. Infuriating; it has genuinely made me use Twitter less.

 

[AppleWatchGuy]

Very pleased to see this unethical developer removed from the App Store. I was a paying customer will request for a refund to ensure this behaviour is not encouraged.

 

[njn007]

Very pleased to see this unethical developer removed from the App Store. I was a paying customer will request for a refund to ensure this behaviour is not encouraged.

That’s a very bold claim to make… enjoy your refund though!

 

[AppleWatchGuy]

That’s a very bold claim to make… enjoy your refund though!

Thank you I also respect the decision of others who wishes to not refund. I have no issue with each individual decision. I’m just not ok with the developer stealing and squeezing every last drop with last minute crummy wallpapers.

 

[boss.king]

Very pleased to see this unethical developer removed from the App Store.

It seems like you still have a very poor understanding of what's going on here. Selig isn't being removed from the App Store, he's choosing to sunset his own app and continuing to offer his other app in the store.

 

[AppleWatchGuy]

It seems like you still have a very poor understanding of what's going on here. Selig isn't being removed from the App Store, he's choosing to sunset his own app and continuing to offer his other app in the store.

Oh I have a very thorough understanding of whats going on trust me. He is essentially removed, because the service he is freeloading off from is gone and without a functioning app Apple will remove him very quickly.

I'm not sure you understand the extent of grifting that is happening though, maybe you want to catch up to the latest news!

 

[Mischievous_Surf]

Oh I have a very thorough understanding of whats going on trust me. He is essentially removed, because the service he is freeloading off from is gone and without a functioning app Apple will remove him very quickly.

I'm not sure you understand the extent of grifting that is happening though, maybe you want to catch up to the latest news!

Get this man a dictionary, he doesn’t understand words such as a free loading or grifting

 

[boss.king]

Oh I have a very thorough understanding of whats going on trust me. He is essentially removed, because the service he is freeloading off from is gone and without a functioning app Apple will remove him very quickly.

I'm not sure you understand the extent of grifting that is happening though, maybe you want to catch up to the latest news!

Why would I trust you when you obviously have an axe to grind and the things you say don't line up with reality? But by all means, please, share a link to this latest news that somehow completely disproves all previous verified reporting on the topic. I'll wait.

 

[AppleWatchGuy]

Get this man a dictionary, he doesn’t understand words such as a free loading or grifting

If using someone else's server without paying is not freeloading then you might need to check the definition.
When asked for money, he went on a publicity stunt , then
when that failed, spent all the deposits given to him by his users, then
when users are asking for refunds, claim that he wishes for people to not ask him to take money "out of pocket" even though they were money from the users, THEN
last resort, sell crummy wallpapers on the LAST day of the app to squeeze every last drop
If this person is not despicable then I dont know what is

 

[AppleWatchGuy]

Why would I trust you when you obviously have an axe to grind and the things you say don't line up with reality? But by all means, please, share a link to this latest news that somehow completely disproves all previous verified reporting on the topic. I'll wait.

explain to me how Narwhal is able to stay up while apollo asks to keep refunds and sell wallpapers for grift? Do you not see the difference between a grifter and a legitimate business?

As Apollo and other apps close down, Narwhal seemingly agrees to one-off deal with Reddit to stay in business - 9to5Mac

The public deadline for the Reddit API changes is July 1. Popular third-party client Apollo is one of the casualties,...

9to5mac.com

 

[boss.king]

explain to me how Narwhal is able to stay up while apollo asks to keep refunds and sell wallpapers for grift? Do you not see the difference between a grifter and a legitimate business?

As Apollo and other apps close down, Narwhal seemingly agrees to one-off deal with Reddit to stay in business - 9to5Mac

The public deadline for the Reddit API changes is July 1. Popular third-party client Apollo is one of the casualties,...

9to5mac.com

Straight from your article: "Rick Harrison, developer of Narwhal, appears to have to come to some kind of special agreement with Reddit that avoids incurring exorbitant charges beginning July 1."

If Reddit is giving the dev an exemption from the thing that's causing other apps to close down, that's even more evidence of Reddit's poor handling of the whole situation. Of course, that's just speculation since the details haven't been disclosed, but that's really not the smoking gun you seem to think it is. I would have thought you would have at least read the article before sharing it.

 

[AppleWatchGuy]

Straight from your article: "Rick Harrison, developer of Narwhal, appears to have to come to some kind of special agreement with Reddit that avoids incurring exorbitant charges beginning July 1."

If Reddit is giving the dev an exemption from the thing that's causing other apps to close down, that's even more evidence of Reddit's poor handling of the whole situation. Of course, that's just speculation since the details haven't been disclosed, but that's really not the smoking gun you seem to think it is. I would have thought you would have at least read the article before sharing it.

Agreement has been reached because Reddit discovered that Apollo is scam. Author is a grifter and they would rather not deal with him. I'm very glad he is now removed.

 

[Mischievous_Surf]

If using someone else's server without paying is not freeloading then you might need to check the definition.
When asked for money, he went on a publicity stunt , then
when that failed, spent all the deposits given to him by his users, then
when users are asking for refunds, claim that he wishes for people to not ask him to take money "out of pocket" even though they were money from the users, THEN
last resort, sell crummy wallpapers on the LAST day of the app to squeeze every last drop
If this person is not despicable then I dont know what is

I don’t know, sounds like Reddit was free loading off Apollo with all the free user content his users brought in to the site. If anything, Reddit should be paying Christian for the development of his app to bring in a pleasing user experience. Reddits the free loaders in the situation.

So just because someone likes something like the wallpapers they have the free will to buy it if they’re interested. No one is saying they have to buy it

 

[boss.king]

Agreement has been reached because Reddit discovered that Apollo is scam.

Still waiting on you to actually back this up with any sort of proof (spoiler: you won't be able to).

Author is a grifter and they would rather not deal with him. I'm very glad he is now removed.

And all the other highly-regarded apps that also shut down? Are they all just coincidentally grifters, except for the one app that's supposedly been given an exemption? 🙄

 

[AppleWatchGuy]

Still waiting on you to actually back this up with any sort of proof (spoiler: you won't be able to).

proof what? I'm still waiting for you to answer why it's ok to take someone else money and claim it as yours? I would love to hear this answer, I cant wait

 

[boss.king]

proof what?

Your claims that Apollo is a scam and that that's why Reddit didn't give it the same special exemption it's allegedly giving to Narwhal.

I'm still waiting for you to answer why it's ok to take someone else money and claim it as yours?

You never asked me that question before, but sure, the answer is pretty simple: that's not happening. It's a scenario you've made up in your head. The dev is refunding everyone who wants their money back by default. People are given the option to decline their refund if they would like to.

Okay, your turn. Let's see anything at all that backs up your claims.

 

[NY Guitarist]

Apollo should stop freeloading off of Reddit's work.

I don't use Apollo or any apps to view Reddit so I don't have an opinion about the Apollo app itself.

Based on its popularity Apollo must provide value to Reddit users that Reddit doesn't. So it could be argued that Apollo in reality helps support Reddit's popularity.

As far as the business model, what is Reddit losing when users access it through Apollo? Lost revenue from advertising, or paid subscribers?

 

[bgillander]

Not defending tripsync or anything, but that's sure a strange take on things.

Some people started a site and called it Reddit. Random people then went to Reddit and started posting stuff on there of their own volition knowing full well that they wouldn't be compensated in any way whatsoever and that Reddit, through the use of ads, would generate revenue. The same goes for the people who decided to step up and moderate.

If these Reddit users and moderators were not okay with that arrangement, then why didn't they stop posting and moderating?

I don’t know, but I think there might have been a single article about some small changes Reddit made. /s

 

[AppleWatchGuy]

Your claims that Apollo is a scam and that that's why Reddit didn't give it the same special exemption it's allegedly giving to Narwhal.


You never asked that question, but the answer is pretty simple: that's not happening. It's a scenario you've made up in your head. The dev is refunding everyone who wants their money back. People are given the option to decline their refund if they would like to.

Nope he is claiming that money is in his pocket, here's his update

- If you have time left on your subscription, you have the option to go to the Settings tab and decline the automatic refund. Developers pay refunds out-of-pocket

Except that's not his money. It belong to the users, not his pocket buddy

 

[boss.king]

Nope he is claiming that money is in his pocket, here's his update

Yes, that's how refunds work. The money has to exist somewhere in order to be paid back to the person getting the refund. This is a nothing argument.

Except that's not his money. It belong to the users, not his pocket buddy

Correct, which is why the refund is happening automatically unless users choose to decline it.

 

[AppleWatchGuy]

Yes, that's how refunds work. The money has to exist somewhere in order to be paid back to the person getting the refund. This is a nothing argument.


Correct, which is why the refund is happening automatically unless users choose to decline it.

Except that's a filthy way of describing the situation.

If Apple took everyone's money for Apple Music for 1 year.

Then they shut it down in June.

They emailed everyone and said "Hello all users, we are refunding the rest of the year for all users. BUT guys, this money is coming out-of-pocket for us so I would reaaaally appreciate if you would just not do that!"

Does that makes sense to you?

No. No it doesn't. That would make Apple look like thief. Of COURSE you should give back the money. Don't even mention anything about it coming out of pocket. You didn't PROVIDE THE SERVICE. Er hello?

But guess why it makes sense for Apollo?

Because of fanboism.

 

[boss.king]

Except that's a filthy way of describing the situation.

It's a 100% objectively accurate way to describe it. I can't help that you're mad at the facts.

If Apple took everyone's money for Apple Music for 1 year.

Then they shut it down in June.

They emailed everyone and said "Hello all users, we are refunding the rest of the year for all users. BUT guys, this money is coming out-of-pocket for us so I would reaaaally appreciate if you would just not do that!"

Does that makes sense to you?

One of the richest companies on earth is pretty different to a single indie dev, so this is an awful comparison, but as long as the refund was paid by default then it's fine. Again, declining the Apollo refund is completely optional. A subscriber can literally do nothing and the money will appear in their account.

No. No it doesn't. That would make Apple look like thief. Of COURSE you should give back the money. Don't even mention anything about it coming out of pocket. You didn't PROVIDE THE SERVICE. Er hello?

You clearly don't know what a thief is.

 

[Geert76]

maybe people should stop replying the agressive anti-Apollo here...cause these anti-Apollo people just like and enjoy all the attention they get now.

 

[boss.king]

maybe people should stop replying the agressive anti-Apollo here...cause these anti-Apollo people just like and enjoy all the attention they get now.

It’s tricky. If you don’t point out the misinformation, less informed people will be misled. If you do point it out, the bad actors get engagement.

Ultimately it’s really something you’d hope the mods would take care of, but that’s it’s own can of worms.