Twitter Officially Bans All Third-Party Apps [Update]

[theinsaneworld]

I understand the bad sentiment here because we're actually losing something we had since, well, quite a long time.
But honestly, I'd do the same thing, because...
1. I'd need an entire team to maintain all these APIs and permissions
2. These 3rd-party apps can hit on my servers in a bad way if not well programmed
3. 3rd-party apps don't show ads
4. No other social network does this (except maybe Reddit?)

Basically it was just a money pit for Twitter and they're trying to be leaner.

Now, will it really diminish user trafic in a remarkable way, this remains to be seen.

Developers actually pay for access to the API. They just didn’t display ads because it wasn’t part of the API. Arguably, Twitter could have probably implemented it. The bigger issue was that the actual Twitter app has been pretty bad for a long time. That’s why a lot of people used alternatives. It has only gotten worse post buyout.

 

[GermanSuplex]

I get asking purchasers to not request a refund, but I also don’t think anyone who paid should feel guilty if they ask for one.

 

[theinsaneworld]

Folks can blame Musk for this change, and I am neither defending nor attacking him. But I will note that this change has been underway at Twitter for at least five years, when they killed the APIs it would take to build these kinds of apps in the first place.

I have been predicting the death of these “grandfathered“ apps since then, but the folks who are now quoted in the article above scoffed at the idea that their heads were on the chopping block next.

Twitter has been untrustworthy as a partner for far longer than this. Just ask any of their development community over the last decade. I used to be among them. Never would I trust them again.

Actually, things started to improve in 2021. The relationship and API access were on a better path. Twitter’s issue are bigger than 3rd-party clients. It always has been.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

I'd be happy if Twitter is banned from the App Store.

I’m sure if Apple banned alternate Apple Music clients you’d be calling for Google to remove Music from the Play Store?

 

[roar08]

I love all the enemies that Elon is making. He is creating his own demise

Money buys more friends than actions make enemies.

 

[kesenwangs]

Way to miss the entire point.

Nah, I get the point. It’s just a bigger deal for some than most.

 

[msackey]

I personally don’t see what’s wrong with the official app, have tried Tweetbot and similar apps, wasn’t really a fan.

Maybe because the official app works for you but not others?

He has the right to do whatever he wants

No he doesn’t. Nobody but a dictator lives without rules and obligations. A company even if private has constraints on what it can and can’t do and also on what it should and shouldn’t do.

 

[akidokraja]

Twitter was a hemorrhaging fake business losing untold millions since forever. The business model was more like a pyramid scheme.
Musk is just trying to turn it around.

Right, he is trying to defraud and squeeze every dollar from wherever he can because he is such good and God given businessman. I am opening GoFundMe so we can all donate to his coffers because why not. Celebrities and Billionaires should not go hungry. This is ridiculous and needs to stop. If we skip a meal or two or drive an old car that’s ok but for them not to have newest helicopter model is inexcusable. We peasants should always bow to celebrity kings as they really deserve it.

 

[Thunderstrike76]

Except they are creating a negative experience for Apple users on the App Store platform, by suddenly changing the promised API access users have been using for 10 years without warning.

And that warrants being removed from the App Store? Regardless of what API access Twitter removes for 3rd party Twitter clients it’s still essentially the same Twitter app before Elon took over.

 

[Sciomar]

People who want nothing to do with Twitter sure are weirdly vocal about other apps that only existed because of Twitter. Do you watch Netflix through third party apps or use Facebook/Instagram through third party apps? The precedent is irrelevant as the owner has changed hands and there was never a guarantee those apps would continue working for any set amount of time.

 

[kesenwangs]

Maybe because the official app works for you but not others?

No he doesn’t. Nobody but a dictator lives without rules and obligations. A company even if private has constraints on what it can and can’t do and also on what it should and shouldn’t do.

I said personally, it’s just my opinion. Different strokes for different folks and that’s okay.

 

[Killa Aaron]

Deactivated my account today over this… so bye bye Elon hello Mastodon.

 

[bradl]

He has the right to do whatever he wants

Yes, he does. That is the glory of Free speech, and as the owner of a private company.

Conversely, he does not have the right to be offended by any and all criticism that comes his way: justified, unjustified, or otherwise. That also is free speech, whether he likes it or not; the problem is that he can't handle such criticism, and whinges about it when it is negative towards him, like all narcissists do.

BL.

 

[Jt69yupper]

This is crazy - but why is ttte for Twitter still working on my iPhone?

Shhhhhhh🤫

 

[Kierkegaarden]

Why is Apple offering a platform that Twitter can use for free and make money from it?

Great question. I think any app that is offered for free and derives their income from ads should give a portion of their ad revenue to the App Store. The cut should be less than current commission levels.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I’m sure if Apple banned alternate Apple Music clients you’d be calling for Google to remove Music from the Play Store?

No! I sure would not. Why? Because it doesn’t run by Elon Musk, ‘The Chief Twit’.

 

[jonblatho]

Are they tho?

Yes. Musk’s leveraged buyout of Twitter forced the company to take on about $15 billion in debt, and the first quarterly payment — “just” $300 million — is reportedly due this month. That’s about a quarter of their pre-acquisition quarterly revenue, long before the advertiser exodus, so the share of their revenue dedicated to paying the debt Musk forced them to take on is likely significantly larger than that now, and so too are their odds of going bankrupt.

 

[MrENGLISH]

I miss the MySpace days...

 

[dannyyankou]

So is Twitter going to refund the developers who paid to use their APIs? Twitter broke a contract, correct?

 

[Choco Taco]

Imagine if this said "Apple Officially Bans All Third-Party Apps Stores"
Reactions would be completely different 😂

There are no third party app stores.

 

[soloer]

Developers actually pay for access to the API. They just didn’t display ads because it wasn’t part of the API. Arguably, Twitter could have probably implemented it. The bigger issue was that the actual Twitter app has been pretty bad for a long time. That’s why a lot of people used alternatives. It has only gotten worse post buyout.

I’m glad you pointed out that developers paid to use the API. I’ve seen many people spouting off at different places implying this wasn’t the case.

 

[Ukyank1]

Not sure what’s funnier, that ‘macrumors’ keeps posting news about Twitter or that ‘macrumors’ readers have such emotional reactions about all things Twitter/Elon

 

[bradl]

So is Twitter going to refund the developers who paid to use their APIs? Twitter broke a contract, correct?

That is a good point and worthy of a second look at the contract. If there isn't anything specifying that they don't have to refund the money, then that would scream lawsuit due to breach of contract.

BL.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

What about business apps like Sprinklr?

 

[QuarterSwede]

Great angle!

now less people will use your platform.

This guy is a genius

Exactly. Instead of doing something smart, like, require ads to be in the 3rd party API and I would at least continue using the platform, he forces me to leave because the native experience sucks compared to Tweetbot.