Apollo is probably one of the most popular Reddit clients on Apple platforms. However, due to the latest changes announced by Reddit, most third-party clients are being shut down – and Apollo is one of them. With its last-ever update, Apollo has added an option that lets current subscribers reject a refund when the app is removed from the App Store. At the same time, users can download a special set of wallpapers.
Apollo developer asks users to reject refunds
Apollo developer Christian Selig announced the update in a post on Reddit. The app will be officially shut down and removed from the App Store on June 30. Although Apollo is a free app, some features require a paid subscription. For those who have paid for an annual subscription, Apollo is asking users to consider rejecting the automatic (prorated) refund of the remaining time.
The move is similar to what Twitter’s third-party clients like Tweetbot and Twitterrific did earlier this year when they were also forced to shut down the apps due to changes to Twitter’s API. By rejecting the refund, developers can keep the money from your remaining subscription.
The refund costs are paid entirely by the developers and not Apple, so rejecting the refund is a nice gesture – although completely optional. “These refund costs are out-of-pocket for developers, and totaling it up looks to be about $250K in refund costs, so if you consider opting out of your refund, I greatly appreciate your kindness there,” Christian explains.
In addition to the option to reject the refund, Apollo is also offering a set of exclusive wallpapers to users who contribute a tip. The wallpapers were designed by some of the same artists who created the different Apollo icons. And on its last available day, all features of the app will be unlocked for all users.
What happened to Reddit
Earlier this year, Reddit announced that it was planning major changes in how it offers its API to third-party developers. While the API was previously free, Reddit now wants to charge, on average, $2.50 per user accessing the platform through the API. This may not sound like much, but it would cost Apollo $20 million a year – which is a lot more than the app makes.
According to Christian, he tried to negotiate with the Reddit team – but this had no result. After that, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman claimed that the API was never designed to let third-party apps exist. He also claimed that developers were profiting from Reddit’s API. Christian and other developers asked for a fair price to keep using the API, but Reddit didn’t listen.
In protest, many subreddits have become private and inaccessible to the public. Others said they would stop moderating their subreddits, which could end up hurting Reddit’s revenue from advertisers. The situation escalated to the point where Huffman requested employees not to wear any Reddit merch in public to avoid harassment from users.
Despite all that, Reddit still plans to go ahead with its plan, which means the end of Apollo and many other great apps.
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