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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 problem
Many users discovered they couldn’t access their third-party Twitter apps on Friday in the late evening PST. 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.
本日のTwitterアプリBAN祭りのまとめです。手が回らないので編集権付きで公開しておくんで追加してもらえれば。 https://t.co/90fZ8OOz2k
— 竹内裕昭🐧 (@takke) January 13, 2023
Radio remained silent
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 ways. 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. 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.
Developer annoyance
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.
Developer of Fenix Matteo Villa revealed on Twitter that he is thinking about removing the client from the App Store.
And I'm honestly thinking of also pulling Fenix for iOS from the app store.
People are still downloading it, and who knows if or when it'll stop working.— Matteo Villa (@mttvll) January 15, 2023
Even co-creator of Tweetbot Paul Haddad attempted to make the application operate by loading in outdated API keys.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.
Correction: all Tweetbot users now share a rate limit of 300 posts per 3 hours.
API calls sent by Tweetbot now show that the app resorted to API v1.1, it used to support v2 as per the app description. pic.twitter.com/YRpteEzm3T
— Mysk 🇨🇦🇩🇪 (@mysk_co) January 15, 2023
They had created a demo client in the past to demonstrate that Twitter’s API was functional and that the suspension of third-party apps was not the result of a bug.
Just tested a bunch of third-party Twitter apps for both iOS and Android: many seem to work. Also created a demo client to test the API. All functions work. Twitter backend doesn't seem to be broken. Looks like those popular apps were suspended for some reason. https://t.co/WrkW8rqFK3
— Mysk 🇨🇦🇩🇪 (@mysk_co) January 13, 2023
If Twitter outlawed third-party clients, many of these developers were concerned about how they would handle refunds for users who had paid for the pro or premium versions of their programs. They would also have to develop new items while earning no money, which would result in a decrease in their annual income.
The next step
Some developers have already indicated that they plan to focus on other initiatives. Haddad informed TechCrunch via email 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.
Three days in, still no news from the glorious Twitter management. Very cool indeed.
Fenix on iOS inexplicably still working 🤷♂️Let's continue working on #woolly, there's still a ton to do.
Get it on TestFlight if you want to try a new Mastodon app.https://t.co/7yiczuu430— Matteo Villa (@mttvll) January 16, 2023
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.
We have proof now that suspending Tweetbot, Twitterrific, and 23 other clients was intentional.
Tapbots are lucky to be making Ivory, and Iconfactory are lucky they have other apps. The others, maybe not so much. Such is the unending stress of being controlled by a gatekeeper. https://t.co/3boFybBndL
— Adam Demasi (@hbkirb) January 15, 2023
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 on TechCrunch 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.
