Regarding the upcoming Reddit API changes
In early June, Reddit announced some upcoming changes to their API (that's the thing that lets Later for Reddit and other applications talk to Reddit). These have caused some big waves for Reddit app developers, yours truly included, but I want to state clearly and up front: Later for Reddit will stay calm and carry on.
The announced changes are:
- Usage will no longer be free, but will be billed by volume
- Apps are not permitted to display ads
- NSFW content will no longer be returned from the API
As a Reddit API developer, I am displeased with these changes, the way they were announced, the short timeframe afforded to make changes, the ambiguity about what exactly the impact would be, and in particular the continuing hostility displayed by Reddit's leadership towards its hardworking developer and moderator community.
The exact impact of the changes on Later for Reddit is still not quite clear. However, the good news is that Later for Reddit should not be (too badly) affected:
- Submitting posts does not generate too much traffic, so API charges should be covered. Paid users can expect the same level of service as ever; free users should stay tuned to see if the actual billed rates will necessitate any re-evaluation of the current free offering.
- L4R does not display ads anyhow.
- Submissions of NSFW content will still be permitted
Given the above, I can confidently say the following about what to expect:
- Submissions should keep working as before
- Depending on the actual API charges, the following features may see heavier caching and/or decreased update frequency to control API usage:
- Post Tracking
- Subreddit Analysis
- Subreddit Discovery
As always, I will continue doing everything I can to make sure your experience using Later is the best it can be.
- Adam