Twitter Announces Official Ban on Third-party Consumers with the Latest Developer Guidelines
Syed Imran Haider 
Twitter has officially announced to ban third-party consumers. The social media company has recently updated its developer guidelines seven days after abruptly blocking apps from accessing its platform. However, it has not provided any explanation of what was going on.
According to new developer guidelines, you cannot use Twitter’s content or API to develop or try to make an alternative or similar product or service to the platform’s application. These applications are Twitter’s client-facing products, services, online sites, web pages, and other offerings, such as those without limitations.
Twitter’s applications are accessible through its mobile apps and official website http://twitte.com. One of the newly developed rule clauses bans substitute services. The update in the rule appears after Twitter abruptly lost many popular third-party clients, including Twitterific and Tweetbot, which will start on 12 January 2023.
Neither Elon Musk nor Twitter Dev has not officially announced anything about the rule change. The company does not have a communication department to contact and verify updated rules.
New Developer RulesÂ
Developers of these apps have historically formed the whole Twitter user experience. They said Twitter had not conveyed to them detail about whatever was happening inside. Twitter’s developers’ posts in their accounts said the company forced its long-standing API guidelines, which led some apps to stop functioning.
Twitter did not positively receive developers’ statements. Many developers and commentators highlighted the concerns, saying it is vague to say what rules the company broke. They were not sure what apps were running for years before Elon Musk took over Twitter and began adopting plans to make them everything apps.
According to Amir Shevat, a former Twitter developer, the social media company particularly tries to help developers compete with its first-party apps, as stated by the recent rule change.
The co-founder of the Iconfactory, a Twitterifics developer, wrote in a blog post, saying developers do not know if Twitter has changed these rules and what changes these could be. On the other hand, Craig Hockenberry, the principal of Iconfactory, enlightened it more bluntly in his blog.
Twitter Apps’ Developers Statement Â
According to Hockenberry, creators did not have advance notice, whereas consumers got a weird blunder. Nobody explained or was in the mood to explain what was going on. Developers did not get an opportunity to those consumers who have been loyal to them for more than ten years. Instead, it is another act in their continuing shit show.
Twitter’s act to update the developer rules and third-party consumer ban has many know reasons, including the financial aspect. The company has been facing financial troubles since the Tesla owner took over, who saddled it with billions in debt.
Third-party clients may earn less income than their first-party ones. Many developers get paid access to the API, but Twitter does not serve advertisements through it, which reduces its ability to help individuals make money using substitute apps. It also does not assist people who use third-party clients as they might not be interested in the Twitter Blue subscription service, which adds features to the company’s app.
