Twitter via Tweetbot and Twitterrific not working? You are not alone
Reports are piling up on Twitter that third-party apps, such as Tweetbot and Twitterrific, no longer work with the social network. Is this another Elon Musk strategy?
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Twitter does not work through Tweetbot or Twitterrific
Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, we’ve been sticking with it iPhoned but write about all the striking, crazy or almost crazy changes on the social network. Yes or no gray checks for verification, purchased blue checks, returning former presidents or based on a poll or a forced algorithmic timeline – just to name a few examples.
Now we can add a new chapter to this as as of this morning third party apps are no longer able to connect to the Twitter API. In addition, all authentications (i.e. the logins) with these third-party apps have been cancelled.
The best-known alternative Twitter apps are Tweetbot and Twitterrific. These offer a slightly different Twitter experience, features for ‘power users’ or a more playful display. But perhaps more importantly, third-party Twitter apps didn’t show promoted tweets or advertisements from Twitter.
Missed revenue for Twitter?
There is a good chance that Elon Musk has decided that third-party apps are no longer allowed to work due to the lost advertising revenue. On the one hand, we understand the decision from economic considerations, on the other hand, it is precisely the third-party apps that made Twitter great years ago.
Moreover, Musk does kill the business model of a number of large apps with this spontaneous decision. Apps that have been invested in for years have suddenly become worthless. There are also hundreds of thousands of users who have already paid for the use of Twitterrific and Tweetbot. They may even demand some kind of compensation.
There’s also some hint that this is all a conscious decision by Twitter, not a temporary blunder. For example, the Twitter API is still accessible to apps that only use parts of the social network (for example, top tweets for a news app), but are not a replacement for the official Twitter app.
Do you use an alternative Twitter app?
Do you use an alternative Twitter app? Or have you already switched to Mastodon? We are very curious, let us know in the comments.
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