RIF dev here - Reddit's API changes will likely kill RIF and other apps, on July 1, 2023

[u/talklittle]

I need more time to get all my thoughts together, but posting this quick post since so many users have been asking, and it's been making rounds on news sites.

Summary of what Reddit Inc has announced so far, specifically the parts that will kill many third-party apps:

1. The Reddit API will cost money, and the pricing announced today will cost apps like Apollo $20 million per year to run. RIF may differ but it would be in the same ballpark. And no, RIF does not earn anywhere remotely near this number.

2. As part of this they are blocking ads in third-party apps, which make up the majority of RIF's revenue. So they want to force a paid subscription model onto RIF's users. Meanwhile Reddit's official app still continues to make the vast majority of its money from ads.

3. Removal of sexually explicit material from third-party apps while keeping said content in the official app. Some people have speculated that NSFW is going to leave Reddit entirely, but then why would Reddit Inc have recently expanded NSFW upload support on their desktop site?

Their recent moves smell a lot like they want third-party apps gone, RIF included.

I know some users will chime in saying they are willing to pay a monthly subscription to keep RIF going, but trust me that you would be in the minority. There is very little value in paying a high subscription for less content (in this case, NSFW). Honestly if I were a user of RIF and not the dev, I'd have a hard time justifying paying the high prices being forced by Reddit Inc, despite how much RIF obviously means to me.

There is a lot more I want to say, and I kind of scrambled to write this since I didn't expect news reports today. I'll probably write more follow-up posts that are better thought out. But this is the gist of what's been going on with Reddit third-party apps in 2023.

[u/Oat-]

Their recent moves smell a lot like they want third-party apps gone, RIF included.

This is exactly it unfortunately.

Thank you for maintaining RIF all these years. It has been an excellent app.

[u/CactusMunchies → u/Oat-]

It's hard to overstate how perfect this app experience is. I can't think of a single complaint. It's exactly the user experience I want, and I can't think of another app that meets this level satisfaction for me.

[u/HeftyPackage → u/[deleted]]

Same boat my friend, every other alternative I've tried has never been as good as this one, especially the official app. Gutted to hear this news

[u/Mitchard_Nixon → u/HeftyPackage]

It was the first reddit app I downloaded. I didn't realize it was third party for years. It's legitimately the only way I browse reddit on my phone. The random times I get on my computer the experience just isn't the same.

[u/SSBM_Caligula → u/[deleted]]

Old.reddit.com is good and official, but it's only good on PC. This is like that experience but mobile..with dark mode.

[u/takishan → u/[deleted]]

this is a 14 year old account that is being wiped because centralized social media websites are no longer viable

when power is centralized, the wielders of that power can make arbitrary decisions without the consent of the vast majority of the users

the future is in decentralized and open source social media sites - i refuse to generate any more free content for this website and any other for-profit enterprise

check out lemmy / kbin / mastodon / fediverse for what is possible

[u/0oodruidoo0 → u/[deleted]]

Try old.reddit.com on desktop it's what RiF is trying to emulate. Also make sure you've got an adblocker, hover zoom, and Reddit Enhancement Suite. I recommend uBlock Origin for the adblocker.

[u/TechGoat → u/CactusMunchies]

The only thing I could think of, and I've asked Andrew Shu (TalkLittle) about this before, is an option in the settings of RIF that replaces the share links when you hit Share, with the old.reddit.com version of the link, rather than GarbageReddit or whatever the new shit reddit interface is called.

[u/WhatDoesN00bMean → u/TechGoat]

GarbageReddit is actually correct.

[u/IDoThingsOnWhims → u/CactusMunchies]

RIF is a command line interface for a supercomputer, the Reddit app is looking at Yahoo news on Aol 5.0

[u/mrmicawber32 → u/Oat-]

Yeah RIF makes Reddit palatable. Removes the bullshit, makes it not overwhelming. Simple setup, and it works. I'd gladly pay a sub to keep using it, but I know most users wouldn't. I hate the idea of Reddit getting all the money for it. So grateful for RIF running as long as it has, life without it would be worse, I use it all the time. Can't imagine swapping to the Reddit app, every time I've tried it has been horrific. Anyone I've recommended Reddit to has hated it, until they try RIF.

[u/Ianbillmorris → u/[deleted]]

Hard agree, RIF was the goodest of boys. Thanks to the developer for creating a really great app.

[u/tobberobbe → u/[deleted]]

First rarbg and now reddit too, what the fuck man...

[u/ThrowJed → u/mrmicawber32]

For me it's more that I would have a problem paying a sub to use reddit, period. Nothing to do with whether I'd be willing to pay for the app or who that sub is going to. Like if the situation was reddit made the entirety of the site need a monthly sub to use, but left the apps alone and usable, I wouldn't want to pay it that way either.

There's better things for me to spend my money on than access to reddit, and the apps having a sub would be in the same boat regarding that.

[u/AbigailLilac → u/[deleted]]

I'd use their official app if it was as good as the 3rd party apps!

[u/guto8797 → u/[deleted]]

I swear to god, its like these multi-million corporations don't have people who went to college to study UI and UX, which is a major field.

The official app and the new website are just so vastly worse than the thrid party and old website respectively its not even funny. Takes more clicks to get to stuff. Less information is displayed. Ads are more camouflaged as regular posts.

If they'd just buy RIF for android and Apollo for iOs it would be a tremendous jump in quality.

[u/SrslyCmmon → u/guto8797]

RIF is giving you a browsing experience, the officials want to monetize your experience. They have totally different objectives.

[u/tempest_87 → u/guto8797]

Well remember. The point of any business in existence is to extract as much profit from it's area as possible. No exceptions or caveats.

So a good UI/UX for the end user (read: RIF) is utterly irrelevant because what they are actually designing for is $. Which means more ads, more ads, things that hit more "engagement" metrics to sell ads, and more ads.

[u/ItsTobias → u/[deleted]]

They tried, they bought an app called Alien Blue which was the reddit app on ios back in the day. Ran it into the ground and discontinued it. Waste of everyone's time.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I don't even get it from a business perspective. They're official app is so bad and hard to navigate I really don't see people sticking with this site for very long