Twitter exposed the new restrictions on stricter API rules for developers, which means it’s going to get tougher for third-party apps to grow their app’s user base.
The new restrictions, which the company decides to bring out in the coming weeks, will include numerous variations, including a cap on the number of users an app can have and required authentication to access the application programming interface. This means Twitter is limiting the number of users for developers of third-party apps to 100,000 users unless it has permission from Twitter for more.
For those who already have more than 100,000 users, Twitter will allow them to carry on growing their base until it doubles. Once it hits the 200 % mark, the developer will only be able to maintain the app, not grow it. Twitter has also changed ‘Display Guidelines’ with ‘Display Requirements’, making sure that the customers get a consistent experience while using Twitter.
The other new requirements could also discourage developers. Currently, apps don’t have to authenticate to access the API, leaving Twitter with no data on who is using their feeds. Twitter needs to identify who is using its API feeds and at what volume, so it is requiring apps to authenticate every time.
Twitter exposed the new restrictions to prevent malicious use of the Twitter API and gain an understanding of what types of applications are accessing the API in order to evolve it to meet the needs of developers, it’s important to have visibility into the activity on the Twitter API and the applications using the platform.
Information is free and Twitter is going against the tide. Let’s see how long will it go!
