Popular Reddit Apps Apollo, RIF, and Sync Shut Down Over API Costs
Three major third-party Reddit apps, including Apollo, RIF, and Sync for Reddit, are officially closing on June 30 due to Reddit's expensive new API pricing. The shutdowns occur just before a massive sitewide protest by thousands of subreddits.
Popular third-party Reddit app Apollo officially shuts down on June 30 due to Reddit's new API pricing structure. Developer Christian Selig announces the closure after determining that the new fees make running the app completely unsustainable. Selig sparks the current controversy by publicly revealing how these exorbitant costs threaten the survival of all third-party Reddit applications.
Two other major apps, RIF (reddit is fun) and Sync for Reddit, are also closing on the exact same day. The developers of these apps join Selig in deciding not to wait for the outcome of a massive sitewide protest scheduled for June 12. During this 48-hour blackout, thousands of major subreddits with millions of subscribers go dark in an attempt to force Reddit to reverse its policies.
Reddit makes a small concession by confirming that accessibility-focused, non-commercial apps will be exempt from the new API fees. However, this exception does not save popular general-use apps like Apollo, RIF, and Sync. As a result, users of these third-party clients must transition to the official Reddit app or alternative platforms before the end of the month.