All the Apple subreddits set to go dark in protest of Reddit's API charges
Reddit communities, including some about Apple, will be going dark on June 12, as a form of protest against the site's decision to charge developers for access to its API.
In April, Reddit issued an update relating to its Data API, with the changes including a new premium tier of access for developers with extra capabilities, higher usage limits, and broader usage rights. However, those changes were not accepted quietly by the numerous communities that call Reddit home.
As a form of protest against the API changes, numerous subreddits within Reddit are going dark for 24 to 48 hours. Going dark on Reddit means the subreddit goes private and inaccessible for a period of time by the public, and has been used in the past to demonstrate solidarity over a topic.
An example of a subreddit going dark
In posts topping many different subreddits joining the action, it is explained that the cost of calls to the API will reach a level that will make it almost impossible for third-party Reddit apps to function.
In the most public example, developer Christian Selig said popular app Apollo will close on June 30 due to the increased cost. At a charge of $0.02 per user for access, it was reckoned Apollo would face an annual cost of around $20 million for access
While an obvious problem for developers of those apps, it will also be a problem for users, too. The post explains subreddit moderators often rely on tools by third-party developers to maintain the communities, since the official app isn't suitable for the task.
Reddit is expected to implement the API fee on June 19. It is unclear whether the blackout will change the minds of Reddit's management, but it may still send a message that the community is unhappy with potentially losing access to well-loved apps.
In a list of popular subreddits going dark compiled on Reddark, Apple-related communities are joining in the activity. The list of subreddits taking part includes:
- r/Apple
- r/AppleArcade
- r/AppleCard
- r/AppleHelp
- r/AppleMaps
- r/AppleMusic
- r/ApplePay
- r/AppleSwap
- r/AppleTV
- r/AppleWallet
- r/AppleWatch
- r/iOS
- r/iOSBusinessChat
- r/iOSSetups
- r/iOSThemes
- r/iPhone
- r/Mac
- r/MacApps
- r/MacGaming
- r/OriginalMac
- r/SignInWithApple
- r/VintageApple
Comments
Personally, I think this reticence is silly. Platforms rise and fall all the time. I lived through MySpace, LiveJournal, Facebook and Twitter. Yeah, it takes a bit of effort to ramp up, but, you know, you are not the same person you were when you joined your last preferred platform, and starting fresh gives you the opportunity to really soul search what matters to you *now* instead of soaking in complacency.
The Lemmy fediverse has a lot of potential and there is already a growing list of fediverse analogs to Reddit’s offerings: https://kbin.social/m/fediverse/t/4331. This is a great opportunity to get in on the “ground floor” of the next, best “thing” - to basically be a part of something when it was new and fresh.
The issue isn't with Reddit charging for access, it's to do with the pricing being set so high as to make third party applications untenable, despite assuring those developers for months that everything would be reasonable. And then cutting off communication and slandering those third party developers (of Apollo) in interviews, and doubling down when the recording proved that you lied.
Reddit's management have behaved atrociously here, and the protests are being held by Reddit's users, not the developer of Apollo, who was not complaining publicly at all until he was slandered.
But sure, support the big corporation shitting on one of the developers who helped enrich their platform, raising its popularity. They're the real victims, right?
I read the article. Your argument boils down to the same "30% is too much and isn't fair" that Apple gets for the App Store.
Boil that down.
One should also examine the obverse of your argument: there's a company CEO who has happily been giving something away for free for more than a decade but who suddenly discovered that someone took advantage of that to build a data set and leveraged it to create a valuable service. Now that the value has been siphoned from what he controls he wants to try and claim that the value is still there, and protect it - when it's clear to the users that the value he's trying to protect only benefits the company and not the community that provided that data in the first place, and the proposed method of protection harms the community.
If you're going to offer something for free, you can't change your mind later (unless you offer something else, of more value to your customers, for free in its place). Otherwise it is rightly viewed as a bait and switch.