172
Reddit API changes are imminent. Here’s what’s happening to your favorite apps [Updated]
(arstechnica.com)
this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2023
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Looks like the smaller apps, and Narwhal has an NDA, so I'd bet they cut a deal with reddit to keep the price really low, in exchange for something, possibly forcing reddit ads into their app.
All have gone to a subscription format, which is still ridiculous. Reddit isn't worth accessing for any price monthly.
If reddit was willing to cut a deal for narwhal why weren’t they willing to cut a deal with apollo or RiF. If reddit just handled the situation better I would probably still be using it today and paying for a subscription for apollo. Now if I did that I’d feel like I’d be rewarding a company that treats its users with contempt and there’s no way I’m doing that.
Good question and observation. I think Reddit set out to crush any and all competition with loyal fanbases and a business model. No coincidence that the surviving apps are severely feature-limited and run almost exclusively by hobbyists (such as is the case of Narwhal; it is not the dev's job. He is an executive with a side project).
It seems pretty clear what is going on here. Reddit thought Christian of Apollo would just roll over and take it. He exercised his rights and recorded conversations and saved transcripts of Reddit lying to him, and released them after they started libeling and slandering him and his business.
Reddit doesn't want that to happen again. I would guarantee that the NDAs being forced on these devs have clauses which prevents them of speaking ill of Reddit or making any statements regarding similar circumstances. They will just bend over and take it when the time comes.
And those devs are OK with that because the surviving apps are all hobbies, nothing more. Reddit lined them such that they can be easily swept away when needed.
Meanwhile, even communities under active attack--like r/Blind--are not moving. They are, similarly, just taking it. Even as mods make it very clear that they cannot perform their jobs even with Reddit's "carve out" to profit from the unpaid labor and expertise of mod tool creators. Even as users reaffirm that they can not use the site anymore, whether through surviving hobby apps or otherwise, because reddit refuses to hire on certified accessibility professionals or even put their own users through that training.
It was always going to be a slow death for Reddit. /r/blind may still exist, but it sure as hell is going to be lower quality than before, and have more spam issues.
Because RIF and Apollo were hugely popular.
Reddit wants to give you the faint idea that you have a choice instead of actually having a choice.
A cornered animal who sees 1 way out isn't as unpredictable than a fully cornered one.
Because Steve Huffman is butthurt.
I'm pretty sure spez said during an interview that he was willing to work with app creators who were willing to work with him. That definitely split developers in two with those who were interested in sticking with reddit, and those who just wanted to move on.
I am no longer posting any of my work to reddit. Maybe if they started profit sharing with actual content creators I'd consider going back, but the hubris, greed, and animosity they've shown towards the users and mods that freely provide content/work that make the site worth anything has been infuriating.
I was a daily user for a frickin decade both posting and lurking.. Haven't been to reddit in almost 3 weeks now. Onward to the fediverse 👍
Nice photos, I’m following.
Narwhal developer did mention that narwhal will be subscription only with no ads.
But as we know, developers are under the whim of Reddit. It's a capitalist platform. They depend on Reddit. Maybe they'll integrate ads à la Reddit.