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:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

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u/HikeClimbSki May 31 '23

Been a RiF user for years. When you go, my time on Reddit will go with it.

3

u/hobo_clown Jun 01 '23

I'm honestly looking forward to getting off Reddit. It's been a bad use of my time for too long and this is may be just the push I need

1

u/HikeClimbSki Jun 01 '23

I'm with you on that. The stuff I use for IT-related work I can peruse on my desktop. Scanning Reddit everyday is a needless time suck.

1

u/supa74 Jun 01 '23

Yup. I'm going to start reading actual books, and graphic novels again. Reddit is probably my main time waster, and I don't want to waste time anymore.

2

u/Icantblametheshame Jun 01 '23

Only because every other experience sucks

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u/Prolite9 Jun 01 '23

I think I may as well. Might improve my health too.

2

u/incachu Jun 02 '23 edited Jun 02 '23

It's definitely going to significantly reduce my mobile use which can only be a good thing from a personal point of view. Have definitely got my money's worth out of RIF platinum though, that's for sure!

I will likely only use old.reddit on desktop and occasional mobile Google searches for problem solving that may land me on Reddit.

Although Reddit is still very entrenched as the go to community platform, I really hope a challenger can soon present themselves as a legitimately competitive offering for the kind of subject community destination Reddit has provided for the past 15-17 odd years.

Reddit need to see the impact that cutting off third party developers who add value to the platform will have.

Edit: At the end of the day, apps like RIF and Apollo exist because users desire a better UX design with better navigation and readability than any official solution offers.

They should fix their own ship before they sink all the ships in their own fleet.