Twitter has updated its developer policies to ban third-party clients. The updated rules appeared about a week after the service blocked the access of third-party applications to its platform without any notices or warnings.
The new rules state that developers cannot use Twitter’s API or content to create or attempt to create a replacement or similar service or product for Twitter applications. In other words, you can no longer build alternatives to Twitter apps using Twitter’s APIs and content.
The rules explain what “Twitter Apps” means. This term refers to the Company’s “consumer products, services, applications, websites, webpages, platforms and other offerings, including, without limitation, those offered through and through Twitter’s mobile applications.” A clause prohibiting alternative services was added to the rules with the latest update.
The rule changes follow recent bans on popular third-party Twitter clients such as Tweetbot and Twitterific. At the time, the app developers (many of whom have historically shaped the entire Twitter user experience) said they had not received any communications from the company. Then, on January 17, the Twitter Dev account reported that the social network was “enforcing its long-standing API rules,” which “may cause some apps to not work.”
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Apparently, one of the reasons for changing the rules and blocking third-party clients is money. Twitter has been struggling financially since Musk took over the company, burdening it with billions in debt. Although some developers pay for access to the API, the company does not serve ads through it, reducing its ability to monetize access through third-party clients. Also, users of alternative apps may not be as interested in the Twitter Blue subscription service, which basically adds features to the official Twitter app.
All in all, there have been no official announcements of rule changes from either Twitter Dev or Elon Musk. Since Musk took over, Twitter no longer has a PR department.
Source: The Verge
