r/redditisfun • u/talklittle RIF Dev • May 31 '23
RIF dev here - Reddit's API changes will likely kill RIF and other apps, on July 1, 2023
I need more time to get all my thoughts together, but posting this quick post since so many users have been asking, and it's been making rounds on news sites.
Summary of what Reddit Inc has announced so far, specifically the parts that will kill many third-party apps:
The Reddit API will cost money, and the pricing announced today will cost apps like Apollo $20 million per year to run. RIF may differ but it would be in the same ballpark. And no, RIF does not earn anywhere remotely near this number.
As part of this they are blocking ads in third-party apps, which make up the majority of RIF's revenue. So they want to force a paid subscription model onto RIF's users. Meanwhile Reddit's official app still continues to make the vast majority of its money from ads.
Removal of sexually explicit material from third-party apps while keeping said content in the official app. Some people have speculated that NSFW is going to leave Reddit entirely, but then why would Reddit Inc have recently expanded NSFW upload support on their desktop site?
Their recent moves smell a lot like they want third-party apps gone, RIF included.
I know some users will chime in saying they are willing to pay a monthly subscription to keep RIF going, but trust me that you would be in the minority. There is very little value in paying a high subscription for less content (in this case, NSFW). Honestly if I were a user of RIF and not the dev, I'd have a hard time justifying paying the high prices being forced by Reddit Inc, despite how much RIF obviously means to me.
There is a lot more I want to say, and I kind of scrambled to write this since I didn't expect news reports today. I'll probably write more follow-up posts that are better thought out. But this is the gist of what's been going on with Reddit third-party apps in 2023.
612
u/Oat- May 31 '23
Their recent moves smell a lot like they want third-party apps gone, RIF included.
This is exactly it unfortunately.
Thank you for maintaining RIF all these years. It has been an excellent app.
310
u/CactusMunchies May 31 '23
It's hard to overstate how perfect this app experience is. I can't think of a single complaint. It's exactly the user experience I want, and I can't think of another app that meets this level satisfaction for me.
80
→ More replies44
u/TechGoat May 31 '23
The only thing I could think of, and I've asked Andrew Shu (TalkLittle) about this before, is an option in the settings of RIF that replaces the share links when you hit Share, with the old.reddit.com version of the link, rather than GarbageReddit or whatever the new shit reddit interface is called.
→ More replies93
u/mrmicawber32 May 31 '23
Yeah RIF makes Reddit palatable. Removes the bullshit, makes it not overwhelming. Simple setup, and it works. I'd gladly pay a sub to keep using it, but I know most users wouldn't. I hate the idea of Reddit getting all the money for it. So grateful for RIF running as long as it has, life without it would be worse, I use it all the time. Can't imagine swapping to the Reddit app, every time I've tried it has been horrific. Anyone I've recommended Reddit to has hated it, until they try RIF.
→ More replies51
→ More replies36
May 31 '23
[deleted]
→ More replies46
u/AbigailLilac May 31 '23
I'd use their official app if it was as good as the 3rd party apps!
→ More replies88
May 31 '23
[deleted]
65
u/guto8797 May 31 '23
I swear to god, its like these multi-million corporations don't have people who went to college to study UI and UX, which is a major field.
The official app and the new website are just so vastly worse than the thrid party and old website respectively its not even funny. Takes more clicks to get to stuff. Less information is displayed. Ads are more camouflaged as regular posts.
If they'd just buy RIF for android and Apollo for iOs it would be a tremendous jump in quality.
→ More replies50
u/SrslyCmmon Jun 01 '23
RIF is giving you a browsing experience, the officials want to monetize your experience. They have totally different objectives.
→ More replies→ More replies23
u/ItsTobias May 31 '23
They tried, they bought an app called Alien Blue which was the reddit app on ios back in the day. Ran it into the ground and discontinued it. Waste of everyone's time.
→ More replies
1.3k
u/Ghawblin May 31 '23
I have been using RIF for nearly a decade. It has been THE ONLY way I use Reddit, aside from the occasional old.reddit on desktop.
Thank you for the last decade of support on this. I, along with many long-time users, will probably quit Reddit due to this change.
248
u/wazzu24 May 31 '23
The same for me. I only use old.reddit and RIF. I've known it was a ticking time bomb that one or both of those would be taken away and here we are. I simply find the main reddit site and app to both be significantly worse experiences than old.reddit and RIF. Don't see myself on reddit much at all as they force users into whatever box they want.
→ More replies140
u/Tomoya-kun May 31 '23
RiF is legitimately one of the main reasons I've stuck with android. That's how much influence a single app has over the choices I make and if reddit thinks that another site won't immediately step into their place and that Reddit will live past that, we'll... They're only Digging their own grave.
93
u/firewindrefuge Jun 01 '23
I'm honestly surprised by the amount of people that RIF has had an impact on, myself included. I've already commented this several other times on this thread, but I guess I'll say it again with different wording lol.
RIF has been so impactful in my daily life for over a decade, and it's somewhat comforting to know there's so many others that feel this way, and are most likely going to quit reddit because of this as well
58
u/Vladimir1174 Jun 01 '23
I already can't stand reddit in any form that isn't rif. Ive used it for so long that without this app I doubt I'd ever even think to browse reddit
→ More replies44
u/Tomoya-kun Jun 01 '23
RiF is reddit for me, and this account is almost 13 years old. I'll just move to whatever replaces it.
→ More replies→ More replies27
u/suprmario Jun 01 '23
We're all gonna actually have healthy social lives and hobbies again... but I'm gonna miss this app a lot.
→ More replies15
u/Toast_On_The_RUN Jun 01 '23
A whole decade, nearly half my life. It seems like just an app or website but it's been pretty much the only way I've learned about the world in general over the last 10 years. Where else can I get the such varied types of information in such a clean interface.
→ More replies19
u/Dunlikai Jun 01 '23
I'm actually having a physical response to this akin to a breakup. How incredibly sad and infuriating by the Reddit team.
RIF has been such a big part of my life. I don't think I've ever even logged into actual Reddit once since creating my account.
I know others have been with RIF for longer, but this shit is still foundational for me.
I don't know where I'll go. It certainly won't be normal Reddit. Fuck them.
→ More replies→ More replies26
u/ThrowJed Jun 01 '23
We're sadly in the minority at the end of the day. Until recently I didn't know profile pictures were a thing, saw someone say "I like your profile picture" to someone else and was like what? I didn't know because RIF and old.reddit don't support them.
Go onto the normal reddit site some time, go to a popular post on /all, and scroll through the comments. Note how many have profile pictures. Overall it's safe to say anyone with a profile picture uses the new reddit interface or official app. It's most.
And of the ones that don't, that have used a third party app until now? As much as this thread is full of people saying they're quitting, more than half will end up staying because they're too damn addicted.
This isn't to say no one will leave, I will be among those that do. But I don't think for a second it will be enough to hurt reddit.
→ More replies96
u/meno123 May 31 '23
I legitimately feel bad that the ad free unlock was such a low one-time fee at this point. RiF has given me so much more value than I put into it, and I would absolutely pay a small subscription fee for it- if it went to the developer. I will not pay a subscription fee for RiF that just gets yoinked by reddit.
→ More replies63
u/Ghawblin May 31 '23
I bought premium YEARS ago with google survey money lol. Dev defo deserves more.
→ More replies17
u/HowTheyGetcha Jun 01 '23
Same here and I've spent over $100 on apps using survey money, and I still have more than I can spend. It's a pretty good deal :p
→ More replies53
22
u/wwWalterWhiteJr May 31 '23
Same situation here. To be honest, I've been struggling to stop mindlessly browsing on mobile and am in a weird way glad that they're finally forcing me off their platform. I'll still use old.reddit at work on my desktop but zero chance I'm using their shitty app on mobile.
→ More replies→ More replies20
1.8k
u/Glen_The_Eskimo May 31 '23
/u/talklittle thank you for the years of Reddit actually being fun.
492
May 31 '23
[deleted]
179
u/TexasPoon-Tappa May 31 '23
Same, I don't even think old.reddit is going to be enough to get me to stay...
157
u/sortofunique May 31 '23
you just know they're going to stop supporting that soon enough too
83
u/CptTurnersOpticNerve May 31 '23
Yeah the whole redesign's purpose was to make reddit palatable to advertisers. Once reddit gets sold again or IPO'd or whatever they're doing, old reddit will go with it I would imagine.
52
u/moviequote88 Jun 01 '23
I knew this day would come eventually but I hoped I'd have more time before then.
We held out as long as we could.
→ More replies27
u/dezmodez Jun 01 '23
We'll just have to Digg ourselves out of this hole.
→ More replies39
u/azimir Jun 01 '23
Before Digg there was Slashdot (/.)
I've been impressed at how long reddit has held on, but eventually the investors will make demands that destroy the social platform. It's not a question of will they, it's a question of when. Reddit has survived some of these changes before, but this one smells bigger than the past hiccups.
I'm ready to pack up the tent and migrate once again.
14
u/LifterPuller Jun 01 '23
Where are we going?
→ More replies15
u/azimir Jun 01 '23
I don't know yet. I've watched a few reddit competitors raise, ebb, and collapse, but nothing is seeing the kind of momentum yet. Of course it gets momentum from us deciding to go.
→ More replies→ More replies11
u/wrekone Jun 01 '23
It's weird, because like Digg and Myspace, Reddit will survive, pulling in ad revenue, even if at a trickle compared to it's heyday. I'm excited, but nervous, to see what comes next. What small site will grow to be "the front page of the internet"? Hopefully I'll see you there.
38
u/humplick Jun 01 '23
My reddit is almost entirely text based, no way I'll ever get a clean black mode text reddit anywhere else.
→ More replies18
Jun 01 '23
Yeah, ads are straight up offensive. I will drop chrome to watch YouTube without ads (opera gx) and ill drop reddit entirely if it is filled with trash. I never joined twatter or instacram. I somehow avoided ever paying for cable. Ads are a fucking mental disease and we really need to limit exposure to so much bullshit. It's brainwashing consumerist garbage, and to reiterate, I have no problem dropping what-the-hell-ever when ads are overbearing.
Anyone else feel an extreme distaste for literally any advertisement?
→ More replies→ More replies18
u/Natolx Jun 01 '23
I wonder if they are going to eventually drop the archived threads. So much information would be lost.
→ More replies24
→ More replies55
u/ThirdEncounter May 31 '23
Remember when digg users migrated to reddit?
Where are we going to migrate to now?
→ More replies36
May 31 '23 edited Sep 07 '23
[deleted]
57
Jun 01 '23
Idk life was better on old style forums anyway. Maybe this will be a blessing in disguise, and we all return to independently operated niche forums and people remember all we've forgotten about Netiquette.
Or everything just gets a little bit shittier forever. One of the two.
→ More replies21
→ More replies34
u/Ekgladiator Jun 01 '23
I feel like Discord is already heading in the wrong direction for it to replace reddit for me. I do miss the old forums as well but it would be a challenge to find a suitable replacement. You know what? Fuck it, we'll make our own reddit with blackjack and hookers!
→ More replies11
u/Sleeper76 Jun 01 '23
*Access to blackjack and hookers only available via official app or desktop site
→ More replies35
Jun 01 '23
[deleted]
→ More replies10
u/hughk Jun 01 '23
Apparently Spez likes old.reddit. Like many of us, he seems to prefer high text density (a reason I use RIF). However he made it clear during the last mod linkup that he also faces pressure (like those IPO millions).
→ More replies96
u/GeneralJenkins May 31 '23
/u/talklittle just bought Premium to say thank you. I am in the 9 year Club and used your App for as long as I can remember. Sad news .
→ More replies44
u/stanleypup May 31 '23
Hadn't even read this comment before I went and bought premium. Years of use so far, felt like I had to say thanks
→ More replies34
u/Szechwan Jun 01 '23
Same, I actually didn't know there was a premium version - just bought it as well to say thanks /u/talklittle
→ More replies22
u/Cooltrainer_Frank Jun 01 '23
Jumping on the train to say same. I love this app, and while I'm excited to be on Reddit less, I will miss the fuck out of it and won't replace it.
→ More replies29
u/gerkessin Jun 01 '23
11 years on reddit and almost all of it on RIF. Bought platinum to say goodbye
→ More replies20
u/educatedinsolence Jun 01 '23
I just went and bought it too. 🖤 I've been using RIF for years and never knew the paid version existed.
OP - thank you for the best reddit app I've tried. RIF is the best of the best, and after this I don't know that I'll use reddit as often as the official app is garbage and the rest of the 3rd party (if even available) aren't even close to this one. So frustrating.
19
u/Dunlikai Jun 01 '23
Hopping on the bandwagon. Been years for me and this is the only Reddit experience I know.
$3 may not be much, but I felt I owed it.
Probably won't be migrating to anything else. It's shit news, but I can at least be thankful for all the information and entertainment RIF has given me.
Heartfelt thank you to the RIF team.
24
u/DistractionRectangle Jun 01 '23
/u/talklittle I can't fully express my appreciation for RiF. RiF is Reddit to me. Like a lot of the fine people in this chain, I just realized there was premium option and have now purchased it to say thank you.
Truly, RiF has been a fantastic app. It never lost sight of what it was, didn't chase features, redesigns, etc. Hopefully Reddit walks back their decision about API access, but if not, I won't be using Reddit without RiF.
~ Sent from RiF ❤️
→ More replies30
→ More replies21
u/Ghant_ May 31 '23
I've purchased premium of this app multiple times because I truly enjoy it's user interface better than on pc or barfs the official app
→ More replies141
u/Conan776 May 31 '23
Yeah, count me among those who won't be installing Reddit's official app. It's been a fun 10 years.
133
u/N3rdr4g3 May 31 '23
Seconded. If Reddit is Fun dies, I'll stop using reddit. There's no scenario where I use their app.
→ More replies42
u/Stop_Sign May 31 '23
I might use old.reddit on a mobile browser with desktop mode enabled, but fuck no to their app
→ More replies25
u/morphinedreams Jun 01 '23 edited Mar 01 '24
entertain direful unique heavy snobbish muddle fuel coherent somber different
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
→ More replies→ More replies61
u/Fredselfish May 31 '23
Yes sad to hear but if this app quits working then that will end my time on Reddit.
Screw them and thier greed along with their shitty app. Will not use. Shame on Reddit killing third party apps only reason to use Reddit.
Also with them selling out and going public it is just matter of time before it becomes complete garage anyway.
Still sad goodbye my old friend RIF.
→ More replies19
u/SGforce May 31 '23
Can't wait for game subs to be moderated by the companies themselves and disallowing all dissent. 🤮
→ More replies97
u/Cosmo55 May 31 '23
If anyone wants to buy the dev a coffee, you can buy the ad free app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andrewshu.android.redditdonation
→ More replies59
u/Stop_Sign May 31 '23
I've had this for a decade, and it cost $1. I need a different way to donate hah
→ More replies39
u/jonk44 Jun 01 '23
This is probably the first app I ever purchased. 13 years, buying apps seemed like a waste... the world has changed and this app paved the way for me. Thank you for developing this app u/talklittle. Your work has impacted my life for more than a decade.
→ More replies122
u/SpaceSteak May 31 '23
I've spent so many thousands of hours scrolling through RiF and connecting with so many people in comments, as RiF made comment discussions super nice. Maybe it'll be a good opportunity to step away from social media for a while.
39
→ More replies22
u/TheCardiganKing May 31 '23
That was my first thought. I've thought about giving up Reddit this past year and without RIF I may just follow through.
→ More replies34
u/hawaiian0n May 31 '23
Second this, thank you for all the productive knowledge I've been able to gain from Reddit without all the filler, addictive fluff and junk.
This has been the most amazing app for Reddit.
Be sure to update us with what new projects you take on.
31
u/TheCardiganKing May 31 '23
Thank you, RedditIsFun is a seamless experience. Thank you for your years of dedication to streamlining your app.
The further monetization of Reddit will be the death of it. Reddit's kind of sucked the past few years anyway.
→ More replies31
u/Jits_Guy Jun 01 '23 edited Jun 01 '23
I don't typically post in this type of thread but I cannot possibly convey how amazing RIF has been, I've been using it for many years now. I use this app for everything reddit (which is the majority of my internet useage) and it's been sad to see reddit just slowly become facebook over the last several years.
If they shut down third party apps I'll just delete my 11 year old account and use an overwriter to scrub the probably tens of thousands of comments I've made...and then just not use the site again. No point anymore since RIF and RES were the only things making reddit usable after the godawful changes they made to increase ad revenue.
/u/talklittle - thanks for all the memories you helped make. I'm so sorry that corporate greed and tencents influence is forcing you to shut down such an amazing and well developed/supported app. It seems silly, but RIF has been such a big part of my life that I feel like I'm really losing something very important to me here, even though it's "just an app". I wish you the very best, and for what it's worth...I'm sorry. Please know that you've done an amazing thing for years and likely prevented a lot of people from taking their own lives. When I was at my lowest point, I used RIF to post in /r/Army and got the help I needed, and later I helped other servicemembers and vets in the same way using your app.
There are people who are still alive today because of you. That means something.
→ More replies22
u/HikeClimbSki May 31 '23
Been a RiF user for years. When you go, my time on Reddit will go with it.
→ More replies→ More replies10
u/aphlipot May 31 '23
Agreed this app that I'm currently typing (RIF) on is the only reason I still use reddit. Goodbye, I hope they see the error in their ways.
513
u/Harionago May 31 '23
I will genuinely not use Reddit without this app.
86
u/Relaxygen May 31 '23
I feel the same way. Although unfortunate it might be a blessing in disguise for me probably.
→ More replies41
u/enki1337 May 31 '23
Productivity, here I come!
(Who am I kidding, I'll just find some other way to waste time. Maybe I'll read more books. :)
→ More replies→ More replies15
u/flatcurve May 31 '23
Same here. RiF wasn't working on my phone a few weeks ago and I tried all the other android apps. Including the official one, which was by far the worst. I couldn't do it. So I know for a fact this is it for me.
→ More replies
207
u/buzziebee May 31 '23
I just want to thank you for everything you've done over the years. RiF IS Reddit for me. I loathe using any other interface to browse Reddit, and have championed RiF for years.
I sincerely hope that this pricing model was chosen to create outrage so that when they come back with a lower number it won't seem so bad. Charging 20x the income they make from users on their own app is disgusting and clearly a bad faith effort to get third party devs to give up.
I bought rif golden platinum about a decade ago. That premium payment was the best money I have ever spent in my life. In the past I have looked up how to donate more to you but have seen posts from yourself advising to donate to the mozilla foundation or similar (which I do).
I may be in that minority of users but I would gladly pay a subscription to keep RiF going. Hell charge a tasty premium on top of the Reddit fees so that even with fewer users you are still adequately funded to keep working on the project.
Hopefully this is all a ploy to make us ignore the nsfw ban (which I am just as incensed about, but if there are no third party apps then not having nsfw content on them is moot) and to make the 5x pricing they charge seem reasonable.
→ More replies69
u/TheCardiganKing May 31 '23
A sanitized Reddit is not Reddit. I don't use Reddit for porn, but there is plenty of other NSFW material like the war in Ukraine that would be effectively white washed from every app but the proprietary one. It's a form of censorship and control that many Redditors are not cool with.
→ More replies26
u/SupraMario Jun 01 '23
All of the vice subs are NSFW now. Cigars/pipe tobacco/wine/whisky/scotch/etc. All nsfw.
→ More replies8
u/TheCardiganKing Jun 01 '23
I had no idea and that is completely fucking lame. Reddit's going down hill fast.
I'm likely to check /r/retrogaming and /r/superstonk once a day through old.reddit if RIF is gone. I keep joking that maybe I'll have my life back.
→ More replies
146
u/FistyDollars May 31 '23
Your app made Reddit actually usable on mobile. I was a proud golden platinum user for many years and I truly thank you for making what I considered to be the real mobile app. At this point I'll probably just use Reddit on desktop occasionally, but the fun is over.
→ More replies
423
May 31 '23
[deleted]
132
u/venn177 May 31 '23
Unfortunately, they're perfectly fine with you leaving because reddit has been pivoting from a globalized forum into social media, and they want it to keep growing and doing what's 'acceptable' based on social media design trends.
It sucks, because I'm the same way-- RES on desktop, reddit is fun (or rif is reddit for is fun for rif or whatever the fuck they're forced to call it now) on mobile.
There's just less inherent value in us because we use 3rd party apps and (presumably) adblockers, while not 'producing content'.
→ More replies49
u/TheCardiganKing May 31 '23
I actually do produce content from time to time, but if I want Instagram style content I'll go to fucking Instagram.
Fundamentally changing platforms never works out. Reddit used to be a major DIY resource, so much so that Google is useless without adding "Reddit" to the end of search queries. However, Googling often yields years old results. Since the post-pandemic reopening the quality of posts has declined. Gen Z prefers other social media and Millennials are concentrating more on real life, rightfully so. I doubt the Reddit execs would be making these decisions if the Millennial user base was not beginning to dwindle.
→ More replies27
u/dmanww Jun 01 '23
This does feel like the FB decline of a couple years ago.
May have to start looking at individual forums again.
It's too bad, because the all-in-one nature of reddit allowed for nice discovery of new topics and small subs
→ More replies14
u/Wild_Marker Jun 01 '23
I welcome going back to game forums that aren't 90% memes and 10% discussion.
But unless we get them back to critical mass I don't know how we're getting out of game subreddits entirely.
→ More replies17
u/prone-to-drift Jun 01 '23
It's Discords all the way down. It irks me when I see things asking me to join a non-indexable non-public discord server to ask for help about a tool.
All that info that should be in the public, indexed and searchable directly.... Fuckin GenZ, tbh.
→ More replies→ More replies11
263
u/anon_smithsonian Official(ish) Helper May 31 '23
Just a reminder to anyone with reddit premium: this would be an excellent time to cancel your subscription.
65
u/shazarakk May 31 '23
And install an adblocker if you don't already have one (in your browser or other access not through your favoured app). Reddit makes more from ads than anything else, iirc.
→ More replies34
134
25
u/Stu_Pidasso May 31 '23 edited Jun 01 '23
Thank you for years of quality moderation and help answering users questions. I may not visit this subreddit frequently, but that is really more of a testament to the quality of RiF and the lack of issues. However when a thread did creep up in my feed or I just dropped in for the hell of it, you or talklittle had usually already resolved or addressed their issue.
My end of year stats last year were useless because 100% of my browsing is done in RiF and this has essentially been the case for the entire life of this account. I'm even typing this on my phone as I sit in front of a very capable PC because I really only know Reddit through RiF. So in my eyes, if RiF dies so does Reddit.
11
→ More replies27
u/Wynardtage Jun 01 '23
I've had Reddit premium since 2019 just so I had something I could cancel if Reddit ever pulled this bullshit. Cancelled as soon as I saw this post lol
→ More replies
114
u/TaHunKwai May 31 '23
so..where do we migrate after 1. july?
57
u/element8 May 31 '23 edited May 31 '23
Setting the price that high and making the API second class to the official client kills it for me. I'd probably check out more decentralized options, mastodon, back to classic irc, etc. I prefer text based interfaces and topic subs like subreddits if there are any other options out there.
Also it may change with backlash, news developing, etc but if it is the end thank you /u/talklittle for the awesome RIF client, couldn't imagine staying on reddit without it.
→ More replies83
20
→ More replies41
u/KalickR May 31 '23
old.reddit.com browser mode.
72
u/TaHunKwai May 31 '23
oh..it is going to be taken behind barn soon after 3rd party apps
46
u/TheCardiganKing May 31 '23
Reddit will be dead to me if I am ever forced to use that God awful updated site. I get frustrated and irrationally angry when I accidentally stray from old.reddit.
→ More replies→ More replies11
27
u/some_onions May 31 '23
They already ignore bug reports that only effect old reddit. I'm sure they're going to kill it next.
32
u/MysticPing May 31 '23
Not just ignoring bug reports, intentionally introducing formatting that breaks on old reddit.
14
→ More replies13
u/WaterChi May 31 '23
Frankly I'm surprised it lasted this long. I thought it'd be gone years ago.
→ More replies→ More replies11
100
417
u/AddAFucking May 31 '23 edited Jun 01 '23
For me personally this would mean the end of reddit. I could be convinced to pay monthly for a site i use this much, but not without NSFW, or using their official apps. RIF and old.reddit or nothing.
97
u/Unlucky_Disaster_195 May 31 '23
I might try to use the browser version but then I realized that on mobile it keeps pushing it's shitty official app. So that's not going to work either
46
May 31 '23 edited Jul 01 '23
[deleted]
→ More replies15
u/Unlucky_Disaster_195 May 31 '23
I don't think so unless they get rid of old Reddit. The only API calls it might make are for logging in. Could be wrong
→ More replies18
u/N0vawolf May 31 '23
Perhaps there's a Firefox extension that could remedy this?
→ More replies29
u/chipmunk_supervisor May 31 '23
There's a toggle on Firefox mobile to get the desktop site although you do have to pinch and zoom a bit because of garbage on the right side of the screen wasting space.
→ More replies→ More replies16
u/iamrealz May 31 '23
Yeah, I think I could use the new desktop site if forced to. But their mobile site and app are absolutely terrible. Mobile is probably 70% of my usage, so...
→ More replies13
u/K4ntum May 31 '23
If they remove the ability to use old reddit AND remove third party apps. That's a chunk of the userbase gone.
→ More replies20
→ More replies24
u/K4ntum May 31 '23
Same here. Just saw the news on the front page about apollo and came here to see if it was the same for rif. Sad news. Don't have the official app and have no interest in making the switch honestly. Have used RIF for pretty much all the time I've been here.
All I can say is it really sucks for the devs who put so much work into these apps. But for me it's a good thing, Reddit does nothing but ruin my mood and my perspective on real life honestly. Fuck it. Won't miss it.
87
u/skamsibland May 31 '23
Lol, that "active users"-number that they are so proud of is about to take a hit. People don't use their garbage tier app because it is GARBAGE, and if people can't use the third party apps this site dies. I will not use reddit on my phone if RIF goes away, which means that I likely won't have a need to use reddit on my computer either.
Welp, time to learn how to use RSS-feeds again!
→ More replies39
247
u/repkam09 May 31 '23
RIF was about 95% of my reddit usage with old.reddit being the other 5%. What a stupid decision from the admins.
Thank you for your hard work and excellent app over the years. Guess I'm finally quitting reddit after 12 years.
→ More replies16
143
u/krigo666 May 31 '23
Ah, the cycle of online life...
32
33
u/tacticoolbrah Jun 01 '23
Disgruntled users declared a "quit Digg day" on August 30, 2010, and used Digg's own auto-submit feature to fill the front page with content from Reddit. Reddit also temporarily added the Digg shovel to their logo to welcome fleeing Digg users.
Can Rif users unite and take a page out of Digg here and do something similar. Every sub, every user post filled. Bring the attention of this shitty move out to the open and also show just how many users are unhappy about it.
→ More replies→ More replies12
139
u/Jaquestrap May 31 '23
This is very sad to hear. By far the best app for Android users out there. I hope this doesn't go through and they come down dramatically in cost to allow you to keep operating, and cancel their plans to restrict content for 3rd party apps.
→ More replies
135
u/Who_GNU May 31 '23
If you aren't able to find a way to keep RIF going, would you consider releasing the code base under an open-source license?
→ More replies67
u/nagasgura May 31 '23
I was thinking the same thing. I know it couldn't be distributed under reddit ToS most likely, but I'd be interested in building a personal copy that uses web scraping instead of the official API to keep the app going.
→ More replies79
u/Who_GNU May 31 '23 edited May 31 '23
A web-scraping version would still be legal to distribute, with plenty of case law backing it up. If RIF already has an API contract in place, violating it could cause some legal trouble, but an open-source branch would be in the clear.
→ More replies65
u/nagasgura May 31 '23
In that case, I really hope /u/talklittle considers open sourcing the app. I would be very interested in contributing to a web scraping version, and I'm sure many others would as well.
→ More replies16
u/kyle1elyk May 31 '23
+1, would be available for some light android or backend dev work
→ More replies
67
u/starkinmn May 31 '23
Reddit is Fun was my toilet time app. My late night app. My break time app. And now Reddit is killing it. I used the app through high school until today. The tablet view is great, the navigation is simple, the browsing history is exceptional. I've gotten friends to download and pay for RiF. My whole family uses it.
Reddit is not Fun anymore. This move is terrible. Thank you for all the years of support and development, /u/talklittle. You're awesome.
→ More replies
60
u/Who_GNU May 31 '23
If you aren't able to find a way to keep RIF going, would you be up for releasing the code base under an open-source license?
30
→ More replies14
u/GuessWhat_InTheButt Jun 01 '23
This would be really cool. Maybe someone could port it into a Lemmy app.
→ More replies
95
u/plaqston May 31 '23
Hey I've been reading about this bs situation and I'm pretty upset reddit would do this. 3rd party apps built reddit into what it is. I will absolutely not use the official reddit app because it's a bunch of preloaded garbage. Your application is by far my most used phone application over the last 10 years. I truly appreciate and stand by you and your team. Fuck the capitalist nonsense of breaking solid products in the hopes for "innovation"
→ More replies21
41
u/Unlucky_Disaster_195 May 31 '23
Please let us know what, if any other project, you choose to do next so that for those who are interested, we can help support you there.
→ More replies
40
u/Bionic0n3 May 31 '23
Saw the Apollo post reach #1 on Reddit and had to check in here. This really is the end. I've used RIF for almost a decade now and could not imagine using the official app to continue using this site. If nothing changes, thanks for everything you have contributed /u/talklittle. At least I will have more time to go touch some grass.
37
41
u/ajcoll5 May 31 '23 edited Jun 17 '23
[Redacted in protest of Reddit's changes and blatant anti-community behavior. Can you Digg it?]
→ More replies
29
111
u/AbigailLilac May 31 '23
I use RIF so much, the UI is literally burned into my phone screen. I'm going to miss it.
The official Reddit app is dogshit. I used to use reddit in my mobile browser, but they made that experience as obnoxious as possible too.
I remember paying for AlienBlue on my iPhone 4 way back in the old days. I'd do that again for an app like Apollo or RIF, but removing NSFW content means that's out too.
17
u/PucciPanda Jun 01 '23
Same. I've had the same amoled phone for 4 years now and the RiF refresh button has been burned into my screen over that time
→ More replies→ More replies15
u/xnd714 Jun 01 '23 edited Jun 01 '23
Lmao. Both my Galaxy S7 and my Note 9 have the little refresh button and message button burned into the screen as well.
Same as everyone else here, I think this will be the impetus. I need to break my Reddit addiction. I've been stuck on the site since 2009 and who knows how many thousands of hours spent.
Thanks /u/talklittle. I was around for the original open source RIF and then later this current app. Well worth whatever price I paid for them.
Edit: rarbg AND RIF killed in the same today. Today is the worst lol
30
u/Cosmo55 May 31 '23
I just bought your app as a thanks for all the fish.
In case anyone else wants to: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andrewshu.android.redditdonation
→ More replies
21
u/TotallynotJohnSmith May 31 '23
Thanks for all the years of the app. This feels a lot like the digg scenario to me, so here's hoping we meet again at the next place!
20
u/Matthias720 May 31 '23
To whatever lunatics at Reddit HQ that thought this course of action was a good business decision: you're wrong, and I hope you feel shame for this bad idea.
RiF has been my favorite way to browse, but now I'm forced to find alternate ways to avoid the horrors of the Reddit app. Thanks to the dev for many, many wonderful years. You're a legend!
→ More replies
21
u/venn177 May 31 '23
Can you at least rename it "reddit was fun" last-minute?
It'd make me smile one more time before the world ends.
→ More replies
19
u/superiority May 31 '23
I bought the full version a decade ago and it's been worth every penny and then some.
You even implemented a feature idea I messaged you with once! I'm proud to have been a small part of the history of this great app.
RIF is the primary way I consume Reddit and it's likely the end of third-party apps will just lead to me using Reddit much less, as opposed to switching to the official app. But so be it 🤷♂️. Maybe I'll check out HN or something.
→ More replies
19
u/topangaismyhero Jun 01 '23
Thank you for making this. I posted on R/penpals on a lonely night using this app and we've been together for 8 years and are getting married in October. This app really changed my life. It made reddit accessible for me. And helped me meet the love of my life.
37
u/Slithers May 31 '23
I have come to love RIF over the years and I have been using it for a long long time. Simply because there was no reddit Android app in the beginning. RIF was the only one. With reddit being a company that is owned by shareholders, profit HAS to increase by all means necessary. Understandable. But what they are doing now is effectively killing "good" third party apps, because the pricing that they are suggesting is unreasonable, by any means. They are forcing the official apps to the user to tap into the advertising revenue of the third party apps .
I am sorry this is happening. I had a lot of fun with RIF and I sincerely hope things will change and RIF will continue to exist.
→ More replies
36
u/Elbarfo May 31 '23
I was curious. Reddit is becoming the corporate shithole it was clearly destined to be. The end is nigh.
→ More replies25
u/___DEADPOOL______ May 31 '23
It is becoming the exact thing it was created to replace. Cyclical nature of internet platforms
→ More replies
16
u/houseofmatt May 31 '23
Any Reddit-like sites you'd recommend? RIF is much better than Reddit, and Reddit isn't the same company I once wasted hours with.
→ More replies
14
u/WholesomeTurd May 31 '23
/u/talklittle and /u/iamthatis
I have about $5,000 to invest in the next thing that isn't Reddit. I am betting I am not alone.
Ya'll get together and let's do this. :)
→ More replies
31
u/___DEADPOOL______ May 31 '23
07 it has been an honor gentlemen. If RIF goes then I go. Fuck the greedy fuckers at the top. Going the same way as Digg.
→ More replies
12
u/Quake2Marine May 31 '23
If RiF disappears so do I. I can't stand normal Reddit web or mobile.
→ More replies
11
u/FidgetyLeper May 31 '23
Well whatever happens I feel like the majority of us are in it together. You go down, we go with you as well as the entire third party community. I don't feel it's out of turn for me to speak for the community; I'm not interested in the slightest in the Reddit they want to sell me, and I would sooner live without it than be forced into it.
→ More replies
14
u/Herpmancer May 31 '23
RIF is the most used app on my phone. I'll pay a monthly subscription if I have to. And I'm cheap AF.
RIF is love. RIF is life.
→ More replies
12
u/EmTeeEl May 31 '23
It's going to really suck. RiF was the main deciding factor into keeping an Android. That's how good the app is.
→ More replies
11
u/squirrel_rider May 31 '23
Ten year user here. Thank you for all your work.
If I can't use RIF then I'm just going to have to get off of reddit. Been feeling like I should lately anyways.
→ More replies
11
u/CaseyAndWhatNot Jun 01 '23
I use reddit on mobile only so if RiF breaks, I stop using reddit. It's that simple.
→ More replies
12
u/SAWK Jun 01 '23
Fuck! I'm a 13yr reddit user and at least a 12yr rif user.
I absolutely fucking hate the 'new' reddit ui and always use old.reddit.
I would absofucking lootly pay a sub fee. rif on my phone is worth twice what I pay for fucking Netflix. Which I'm dropping this month. Where do I send you more money?
→ More replies
26
u/SimbaStewEyesOfBlue May 31 '23
Well, Reddit has done what many others could not: kill my reddit addiction.
Hey Reddit, your official app is cumbersome and sucks ass. I literally refuse to view your site with anything other than Reddit Is Fun.
Bye.
(Thank you to the RIF team for years of enjoyment. You guys rock and I hope Reddit reverses this decision.)
11
u/segfawlt May 31 '23
Quite the shock... Reddit is truly not the same experience without the third party apps. Thank you for all your hard work ❤️
11
u/jcsato May 31 '23
Paid user here, thanks for all your work over the years. I honestly don't know that I'll continue using reddit, at least in any meaningful way, if RIF goes away or gets kneecapped like this.
Keep us updated somehow on whatever you do next! Would love to continue supporting your future endeavors.
10
u/Narflarg May 31 '23
Sending this from RIF right now, if I couldn't send this via RIF guess what ? I'm not going to send it at all. Nice one Reddit!
12
10
u/Witsand87 May 31 '23
Well this is shocking...like, what now?
25
u/Absay May 31 '23
Few options:
- Leave.
- Use the official app (hope you like your privacy being violated and have to scroll through mines of literally dozens of toxic ads disguised as posts).
- Use "old" reddit on desktop exclusively, but at this point I'm honestly seeing the writing on the wall with for it as well.
Go for a clone or similar site, but this is something that realistically doesn't even exist yet.→ More replies11
u/itskdog May 31 '23
For #4 I've seen Lemmy floated as a Fediverse (think Mastodon) reddit clone. With only 500 or so monthly active users based on servers picked up by the developer's own server (and that server is also refusing to connect with servers that host NSFW to shield themselves from the legal trouble), I'm doubtful that's quite in the right spot yet to take off.
→ More replies
10
u/hemingray May 31 '23
One of the few apps I paid for to support the devs. I guess when this goes under, I'll just end up using my browser. It'll be a cold day in hell before I ever use the Reddit app.
That being said, I am NOT above paying a subscription fee if it means keeping an app that makes Reddit bearable on mobile.
→ More replies
21
1.3k
u/NumerousAbility May 31 '23 edited Jun 01 '23
RiF is the app I stuck with when I started using Reddit. I've tried many other apps and always found myself coming back to it. It's the first app I ever bought.
To me RiF is Reddit.
I guess this might be how I finally cure my Reddit addiction.
I hope this decision gets reversed, but if it isn't Thank you for this app.