Twitter shuts down free access to interfaces

SAN FRANCISCO: Free services that rely on Twitter's software tools are threatened with the loss of their livelihoods after the online service said it will only offer paid access to its APIs (application programming interfaces) from Feb 9. 

Developers have always been able to access the platform's APIs without paying, at least to a limited extent, while deeper integration costs money.

In tweets on Thursday (Feb 2), Twitter initially did not give any details on the future pricing model, but only held out the prospect of further information for the coming week.

"Starting Feb 9, we will no longer support free access to the Twitter API, both version two and version 1.1. A paid basic tier will be available instead," the tweet sent on Thursday morning said, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

With the interface access, a system of useful apps and services have developed in recent years. These include taking screenshots of tweets, making chains of several posts easier to read, and collecting tweets that have been deleted.

Twitter charging for access to its interfaces could mean the services will need charge their users. Such business models are considered difficult because users are unlikely to pay.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter in October, saddling the service with billions in debts that now have to be serviced. At the same time, advertising revenues have fallen since then, also because many advertisers are shying away from the platform after its perceived swerve to the right under Musk. 

Twitter is trying to make more money with a subscription offer, among other things. Recently, furniture from the San Francisco headquarters was also auctioned off.

The first blow to the developer ecosystem that has built up around Twitter came a few weeks ago. After a rule change, apps from other providers that could be used to access Twitter stopped working from one day to the next. Users could no longer avoid the advertising that usually appears between tweets.