The failure of third-party Twitter clients, which has been ongoing since Friday, would actually be intentional on the part of the social network, which has so far remained silent.
Would Twitter have voluntarily blocked access to its API for third-party platforms like Tweetbot, Twitterific, or Echofron? As of Friday, users can no longer connect to these applications, allowing them to search Twitter while benefiting from advanced features without going through the corporate application.
What at first glance looked like a bug turns out to be Twitter’s intention. When the company’s management hasn’t communicated on the matter, trade media The Information has had access to Slack messages internally, confirming that the act was indeed premeditated. “Third-party app locks are by design,” reads a message from a channel dedicated to service disruption triage.
Silent tweeting
Many third-party developers tried to reach Twitter. Without success. “We still have no news from Twitter. We’re honored that so many of you have chosen us as your route to navigate Twitter over the last 12 years and hope it continues…” tweeted Tapbots. Some developers like Paul Haddad, co-founder of Tapbots and developer of Tweetbot, have already preferred to throw in the towel and announced that they will focus on launching offers on Mastodon.
What about the reasons for these access blocks? Twitter has been silent so far. However, according to sources from The Information, the company is still working on an official announcement. It could drag on for a while, because the blue bird hasn’t had a communications team since Elon Musk took over the helm of the social network last October. case follows.