Many well-known Twitter clients went down on Friday, including Tweetbot, Twitterrific, and Echofon. Users were unable to access their accounts or view their timelines. At first, it appeared to be a flaw in the Twitter API, but when the company went silent, new information revealed that Twitter had purposefully restricted access to third-party apps.
The issue
Many users discovered they couldn’t access their third-party Twitter apps. The developers of the software immediately acknowledged the problem and stated that they had made contact with the company.
At the time, a developer in Japan saw that a large number of tiny Twitter clients were operating without any issues. Many in the neighborhood made wild guesses about whether there would be a problem with the API or whether the business was restricting access to bigger clients.
The radio silence
The company and its new owner Elon Musk remained silent about the issue, despite developers and users expecting Twitter to interact with them in some way. The Tesla CEO, however, tweeted on a variety of topics, such as the most recent Falcon Heavy launch and increasing transparency on Twitter by disclosing the platform’s tweet recommendation algorithm.
According to internal Twitter discussions, the decision to shut down specific third-party clients was made by the company and not due to a problem, The Information claimed over the weekend.
Developer frustration
According to the report, one project manager allegedly informed the product team that the business had “begun to work on comms” but failed to give a timetable for formal and authorized communication.
Many developers have vented their concerns on Twitter and Mastodon since the start of the affair. In a blog post titled “The Shit Show,” Twitter sensation Craig Hockenberry declared, “Personally, I’m done. With a vengeance, too.
Fenix creator Matteo Villa announced on Twitter that he is thinking about removing the client from the App Store because he worries that it might eventually cease functioning. The client is currently operational at the time of writing.
Even the co-creator of Tweetbot Paul Haddad attempted to make the application operate by loading on outdated API keys. For a while, that method was effective, and some people were able to access their accounts. Users began to exceed the API limit, though, and the client was subsequently suspended once more.
Tweetbot exceeded the old v1.1 API limit of 300 posts per 15 minutes, according to iOS developer Mysk, who posted on their account.
The way forward
Some developers have already indicated that they plan to focus on other initiatives. Haddad informed us that Tweetbot is prioritizing the quick release of Ivory, a Mastodon client that is currently in closed beta.
He stated that the team’s current priorities are improving the onboarding process, bug fixes, and moving closer to an App Store release.
A beta version of Wolly, Villa’s Mastodon client, was also made available on Apple’s test website, Testflight.
The scenario is hopeless for some other developers. Adam Demasi, an iOS developer, pointed out that some independent developers who focused on creating Twitter clients would find it challenging.
Twitter has discontinued a number of developer-related projects, like Twitter Toolbox for app discovery, since Musk took over the firm last year. Several additional programs are in a dead status even though the business hasn’t made any official shutdown announcements. Given that the firm hasn’t officially stated its goals for platform compatibility, developers have been wary of its Twitter development strategy.
These actions have undone the social network’s efforts over the past few years to regain the trust of developers. Amir Shevat, who was once in charge of Twitter’s developer platforms, claimed last month that the new leadership had betrayed the faith of the developer community. The community won’t feel confident after this suspicious suspension of third-party Twitter applications without any explanation.
Summing Up
Users were unable to access their accounts or view their timelines. The company and its new owner, Elon Musk, remained silent about the issue. Internal Twitter discussions suggest the decision was made by the company and not due to a problem. Twitter has suspended third-party developers’ access to their Twitter accounts after they exceeded the v1.1 API limit of 300 posts per 15 minutes. Some developers have already indicated that they plan to focus on other initiatives, while others are considering pulling their clients from Apple’s App Store.