r/redditisfun • u/talklittle RIF Dev • May 31 '23

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

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.

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u/meno123 May 31 '23

I legitimately feel bad that the ad free unlock was such a low one-time fee at this point. RiF has given me so much more value than I put into it, and I would absolutely pay a small subscription fee for it- if it went to the developer. I will not pay a subscription fee for RiF that just gets yoinked by reddit.

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u/Ghawblin May 31 '23

I bought premium YEARS ago with google survey money lol. Dev defo deserves more.

15

u/HowTheyGetcha Jun 01 '23

Same here and I've spent over $100 on apps using survey money, and I still have more than I can spend. It's a pretty good deal :p

3

u/teddygraeme86 Jun 01 '23

How do you get so many surveys?!

1

u/Makorot Jun 01 '23

If you answer truthfully you get a lot of them in my experience, also keep GPS on.

1

u/HowTheyGetcha Jun 01 '23 edited Jun 01 '23

Well I've been doing it for years, for one. Two, I gave up my "I'm a small business owner with 100 employees" sham which they slowly weeded out. Started answering honestly, I get maybe 2-3 a week. A lot of them are just "Did you visit [here]?" Yes. (Often I can honestly answer no.) "Would you share a receipt?" No. "Here's ten (or 20) cents."

1

u/HiddenGhost1234 Jun 02 '23

For me it's when I go out, visit new stores, etc.

Also always take a pic of receipt, it gets you almost a dollar sometimes

3

u/PlacentaOnOnionGravy Jun 01 '23

How do you get so many surveys?!

2

u/korben2600 Jun 01 '23

How do you get so many surveys?!

2

u/EnemyOfEloquence Jun 01 '23

Google Survey Money. Nostalgia blast lol. I've been using this app forever.

2

u/Higgs_Br0son Jun 01 '23

/u/talklittle add a button to the app to buy you a cup of coffee. I got like $20 play store credit just sitting in my account since I quit Marvel Strike Force lol.

Been daily driving this app for more than 9 years it's the least I could do.

1

u/Clay_Pigeon Jun 01 '23

Yeah do this.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 01 '23 edited Jun 11 '23

This comment was overwritten and the account deleted due to Reddit's unfair API policy changes, the disgusting lying behaviour of u/spez the CEO, and the forced departure of the Apollo app and other 3rd party apps. Remember, the content on Reddit is generated by US, THE USERS. It is OUR DATA they are profiting off and claiming it is theirs!

1

u/SomeGuyNamedJames Jun 01 '23

I bought premium so long ago that I completely forgot until I saw this post. When I got to the part about most revenue being from ads and thought, I have never seen an ad. Realized I must have got premium. Probably 13ish years ago.

I'll miss my niche hobby communities, but not enough to use the PoS official app. Especially after what they're doing to my boy.

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u/not4smurf May 31 '23

Me too - just looked back through my Play store history - I paid $2.05 for it in May 2015!

2

u/MungoB Jun 01 '23

2019 at 3.99 CAD (maybe 2.99 USD) it was a steal at that price

2

u/0ctobogs Jun 01 '23

March 2, 2013. Wow it's been a long ride

2

u/azimir Jun 01 '23

Huh. Nov 2012. Time truly flies, doesn't it?

I'm not sure I want to see how many total hours I've been using RIF in these past 12+ years...

1

u/dboti Jun 01 '23

I bought mine in 2018 and realized I've been using the free version on my past two phones by accident.

1

u/midgethemage Jun 01 '23

SAME. With it being lifetime, they could've charged a lot more. I only paid $4, which I would happily pay monthly

1

u/[deleted] Jun 01 '23

[deleted]

1

u/meno123 Jun 01 '23

I would rather spend money than see ads.

1

u/robotco Jun 01 '23

tbh I didn't even know there was a premium option. in fairness, I don't think it was promoted very well.

1

u/Aiken_Drumn Jun 01 '23

There's ads?

1

u/Naggers___Dot---Com Jun 04 '23

The way I see it, Reddit owes me for the money I spent on RIF Platinum.