Popular third-party Reddit app Apollo announced that it is shutting down at the end of the month due to Reddit’s API pricing. Prior to this, the developer of the app, Christian Selig, expressed fears about a possible shutdown, saying that operating the app in the future could cost him up to $20 million per year. This, however, is now official as Selig shared on Twitter that Reddit’s API pushed him to the decision. And more apps are joining.
“Apollo will close down on June 30th,” the developer tweeted. “Reddit’s recent decisions and actions have unfortunately made it impossible for Apollo to continue. Thank you so, so much for all the support over the years.”
The shutdown also extends to other third-party apps affected by the API changes. Others include rif is fun for Reddit (previously Reddit is Fun), ReddPlanet, and Sync. The three announced the same plan to close on the same date indicated by Selig and expressed different concerns revolving around Reddit, aside from its expensive API pricing.
“The hurdles placed on third party apps by reddit just aren’t a feasible obstacle to overcome,” the developer of ReddPlanet shared. “With the removal of explicit content, the unreasonable pricing structure, short time period, lack of responsiveness, and unwillingness to come to a middle ground, reddit has shown that their intent is to extinguish all 3rd parties.”
“RIF will be shutting down on June 30, 2023, in response to Reddit Inc’s API changes and their hostile treatment of developers building on their platform,” RIF wrote.
Other moderators are also expressing doubt over Reddit’s ability to understand the requests and pleas of third-party apps, developers, and moderators, though the company recently announced it is making exemptions for accessibility apps. The r/Blind shared that, together with u/rumster, it has been trying to contact Reddit over accessibility issues “over the past 3 years” with “no substantive response” from the company. It added that another moderator had talks with Reddit, but “as of the current time, our concerns have gone unheard, and Reddit remains firm.”
Next week, different subreddits will protest by going all dark. In the list of participants shared on the platform, there are over a thousand subreddits expressing support for the move, with some having more than 30 million users. Some of the subreddits on the list include r/aww, r/Music, r/Pics, r/DIY, r/EarthPorn, r/explainlikeimfive, r/LifeProTips, and r/videos.
Before the protest, however, Reddit announced that its CEO, Steve Huffman, would host an AMA “about the latest API updates, including accessibility, mod bots, and third-party mod tools.” No details on what exactly will be tackled by Huffman, but one can only hope the event will announce some significant considerations that will end all these issues being faced by the entire Reddit community.
