Twitter has announced that it will no longer offer free access to the Twitter API from February 9, 2023. Instead, the company plans to launch a paid version in an attempt to further its monetization efforts.
The announcement was made in a series of tweets via the Twitter developer account. The company revealed that support for both legacy v1.1 and the new v2 of its Twitter APIs will end and a new paid basic tier will be available instead. Although it is not yet clear how much Twitter will charge for using its API.
Starting February 9th, we will no longer support free access to the Twitter API, both v2 and v1.1. A paid basic tier will be available instead 🧵
— Twitter Dev (@TwitterDev) February 2, 2023
The news comes as popular third-party Twitter apps like Tweetbot, Fenix and Twitterrific have been facing service outages since mid-January, leaving users of these apps unable to view and send tweets. The developers have not yet received an official statement from Twitter about the reason for the outage. As Twitter prepares to launch its paid API, it’s still unclear what the future holds for these popular apps.
A Twitter developer account took to the platform to share the power of its data, declaring that it is one of the most powerful data sets in the world, a statement that could easily pass as a tweet from Elon Musk himself.
Over the years, hundreds of millions of people have sent more than a trillion tweets, with billions more every week.
— Twitter Dev (@TwitterDev) February 2, 2023
Twitter’s data is among the most powerful data sets in the world. We’re committed to enabling fast and comprehensive access so you can continue to build with us.
We’ll be back with more details on what you can expect next week.
— Twitter Dev (@TwitterDev) February 2, 2023
The impact of Twitter’s new paid API on researchers and firms working to combat disinformation is uncertain because the company has not yet clarified its position on using the free API for these groups. Twitter has also recently made plans to enter the payments world, with plans to compete with well-established players like PayPal, Venmo, and Apple Pay. Along with Elon Musk, Twitter is making a concerted effort to control access to the platform and monetize its services.
All this comes as a result of changes to its subscription service, which has become more expensive than before, as well as changes to the appearance of tweets on a user’s timeline, all to make the platform more attractive to advertisers. To make it attractive.
