Twitter updated its Developer Agreement, essentially blocking third-party clients for good. Platforms like Twitterriffic and Fenix are now practically unusable, as they no longer have API access and were shut out earlier this week.
The new rules state that it is not allowed to “create or attempt to create a substitute or similar service or product to the Twitter Applications”. Developers of such apps were simply told their platforms are now “suspended”.
Twitter is enforcing its long-standing API rules. That may result in some apps not working.
— Twitter Dev (@TwitterDev) January 17, 2023
Twitter API can now only be used to integrate Twitter Content, which is to say embed tweets. However developers are no longer allowed to change how the information appears to the reader, nor modify any of the visual elements.
Since this is exactly what third-party platforms do, Twitter used this as an excuse to block all of them. Some Twitter Blue features were available in third-party apps, and obviously, the social media wants to consolidate all earnings, given the turbulent financial times ahead of Musk and co. There’s also the fact that Twitter does not serve ads through API, limiting the ability to monetize users using these clients.
