The time has come as (most) third-party Reddit apps shut down

Reddit announced controversial API changes last month, set to come into effect from July 1. The developers of third-party apps decried the changes, noting that Reddit’s new API costs were prohibitively expensive and that they’d be forced to shut down as a result.

Well, that day has come and several major third-party Reddit apps have indeed shut down on July 1.

For starters, the long-running Sync for Reddit app has gone dark. The developer of the app issued an update with a farewell message, while also noting that they’re accepting signups for a third-party Lemmy client.

Fellow third-party Android client BaconReader has also stopped working, as Redditors noted and we can attest. Much like Sync for Reddit, BaconReader was around for over a decade.

Finally, developer Christian Selig has confirmed that his Apollo app for iOS has shut down. Selig kickstarted the furor over Reddit’s API changes, asserting that the changes would cost him as much as $20 million a year.

In saying so, not every third-party app has shut its doors. It’s worth noting that the Relay for Reddit app on Android continues to work. Developer Dave Brady confirmed that he would be transitioning to a subscription-based model and that the app will continue to work after July 1.

Even though we knew it was coming, it’s still a disappointing turn of events to see many critically acclaimed and long-running Reddit clients being shut down. But between the first party app, subscription-based third-party apps, and alternative platforms like Lemmy and Squabbles, it’ll be interesting to see how things shake out in the future.