Twitter has updated its Developer Agreement, essentially permanently blocking third-party clients. Platforms like Twitterriffic and Fenix are now basically unusable, as they no longer have access to their APIs, and were shut down earlier this week.
The new rules state that you may not “create or attempt to create a service or product that is a substitute or similar to the Twitter Applications.” The developers of such apps have simply been told that their platforms are now “suspended”.
Twitter is enforcing its long-standing API rules. This may cause some apps not to work.
— TwitterDev (@TwitterDev) January 17, 2023
The Twitter API can now only be used to embed Twitter content, i.e. embed tweets. However, developers are no longer allowed to change how the information appears to the reader, or change any of the visual elements.
Since this is exactly what third-party platforms do, Twitter used it as an excuse to block them all. Some Twitter Blue features were available in third-party apps, and obviously, the social media wants to consolidate all the gains, given the turbulent financial times ahead for Musk and co. There’s also the fact that Twitter doesn’t serve ads through APIs, limiting the ability to monetize users using these clients.
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