Twitter’s move to monetise its API has left many developers and users frustrated
Twitter has made some major changes to its API, the tool that lets other apps and websites interact with the platform. Earlier this year, Twitter announced that it would stop allowing developers to create third-party apps with its API, and introduced new paid plans and a limited free version. Now, the company has finally pulled the plug on its old free API, which has caused many problems for apps and websites that relied on it.
Some of the apps and websites that have been affected by the API shutdown include Post News and Substack, which can no longer use Twitter login, Engadget reported. Other examples are Jetpack Social (a WordPress plugin), Echobox, Flipboard, and Social Bearing, which used the API to display or analyse tweets.
The new free API only allows 1,500 posts and access to Twitter login per month for each app. Developers who need more access have to pay $100 per month for 50,000 posts and 10,000 reads, or $42,000 per month for the Enterprise API, which offers more features and reliability.
However, even developers who are willing to pay for the new API are facing difficulties, as Twitter has cut off access to the old API without providing access to the new Enterprise API yet. “We still have had no response from Twitter’s enterprise sales team and our access to the API was cut off without notice yesterday,” Echobox developers said in a blog post.
This is not the first time that Twitter has alienated developers after banning third-party clients in January. The company’s actions seem to be driven by its desire to make more money from its platform, but at the cost of losing trust and goodwill from its developer community.
Twitter’s new monetisation strategies are failing
Twitter has been struggling to make more money ever since it was acquired by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, in October 2022. The social media platform has introduced several changes that have upset its users and advertisers. For example, Twitter has raised the cost of the Blue subscription, which gives users a blue badge and other perks. The platform has also reduced the visibility of tweets from non-Blue subscribers.
However, these moves have backfired on Twitter. The company’s value has plummeted from $44 billion to $20 billion in less than a year. Many major advertisers have abandoned the platform, causing it to lose revenue. Moreover, Twitter has been facing frequent technical issues, security breaches, and staff turnover. The platform has fired several key executives and engineers, including its CEO Parag Agrawal. And it is unlikely that charging developers a high fee for accessing Twitter’s API will improve the situation.
Like, Comment or WordPress Reblog the post and Subscribe to IT Service Guru for future blog posts.
