Evidently whereas Elon Musk is struggling to make his first fee on the large deal that netted him Twitter, he is discovered the time to screw over builders and customers of the platform.
This is not in reference to the launch of Twitter Blue for Android or the brand new possibility that means that you can pay for Blue for a 12 months. As an alternative, Twitter has modified its “developer settlement,” eradicating the flexibility for third-party purchasers to perform.
This entire saga started final week after customers of standard purchasers equivalent to Tweetbot on iOS or Fenix on Android opened their apps of selection solely to search out that they weren’t functioning. Little did we all know, the present was solely getting began.
Surprisingly, for somebody who voices their opinion as loudly as Musk, he did a beautiful job at going “radio silent” concerning something associated to third-party apps. This is similar one who has posted a number of polls about whether or not he ought to rent a brand new CEO or whether or not sure accounts needs to be unblocked.
There’s already a mountain of uncertainty surrounding the platform, and third-party purchasers not functioning simply provides one other layer. Effectively, plainly we lastly have our reply, as Twitter has quietly up to date the phrases of its “developer settlement,” as noticed by Engadget.
Evidently the one change made to the settlement got here to the “restrictions” part. Right here, you will now discover a clause that claims “use or entry the Licensed Supplies to create or try to create a substitute or comparable service or product to the Twitter Purposes.”
In order that’s it.
Third-party Twitter apps are virtually lifeless and gone, and issues will in all probability keep that method till Twitter is both acquired by one other entity or Musk is out of the driving force’s seat.
There’s undoubtedly an argument to be made that third-party apps ought to have by no means turn into the “norm.” You may’t obtain a unique app to make use of Fb or Instagram, even earlier than the latter was acquired by the previous. However frankly, that is a bullshit argument as a result of being able to bypass all of Twitter’s nonsensical algorithms and app adjustments over time, we have been in a position to proceed having fun with the platform.
In the intervening time, it seems as if the “good days” or Twitter are gone for good. Now should you’ll excuse me, I will go dive deeper into Mastodon.
