A few days ago, it became clear that 3rd party apps Tweetbot’s, Echofon’s and Twitterrific’s API credentials were revoked. They could no longer use the same system we use to fetch and post tweets.
While we still don’t know why the credentials were revoked, this is what I think happened.
Why did 3rd party apps get banned?
Tweetbot, Echofon and Twitterrific are basically glorified versions of TweetDeck. They are 3rd party apps, just like us, but moreover, they’re 3rd party Twitter clients! I believe that’s the reason for their ban.
While Twitterrific is very upfront about offering “Twitter free from the clutter of promoted tweets and second-guessing algorithms,” Tweetbot is a bit more obscure. Still, they also provide the same “service” as Echofon, who even asks you to advertise with them.
I think this is the main reason why they got blocked: they suck up API credits but don’t offer any value to Twitter in return, since an ad-free version of Twitter naturally doesn’t benefit Twitter itself.
The users of those apps are in denial about Twitter but still want to use it.
Anyway, back to why this is important to you.
In all honesty, I don’t know what will happen and if other 3rd party apps will be targeted. I think it’s a targeted move from Twitter against 3rd party clients, not against other types of 3rd party apps.
Elon said he would invest more in TweetDeck. He consciously decided to limit third-party clients to just TweetDeck because he believed others didn’t add value to the ecosystem.
You can debate his decision and the way it was done won’t earn him any prizes, but this is the Elon way.
Will Twitter ban scheduling 3rd party apps?
I don’t think Elon Musk will ban “schedulers” like Hypefury because:
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we post directly on Twitter;
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the most engaging content is posted through Hypefury and similar tools;
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we directly lead to an increase in ad revenue;
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we aid the creator space, which Elon says he fully supports;
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the 3rd party clients are primarily for consuming content, not for creating content.
All in all, I don’t think creator tools like Hypefury are at any risk of getting banned—quite the opposite.
Keep creating! Twitter is in its Spring, not its Autumn. Hypefury’s growth rate is increasing and this is just the start of a new era for creators on Twitter, supported by great tools to help them become more successful.
Have a great day,
