Narwhal developer believes they can keep the third party iOS Reddit app running with a subscription.
Copy and pasted from Reddit:
Hey all, I want to give you an update on what is happening with Narwhal. I’ve been talking with Reddit a lot about the API changes and what it will mean for Narwhal.
Narwhal is not going anywhere on July 1st. It will continue to operate as it has for many years (except it will not have ads anymore). Over the next few months, I am going to be adding subscriptions into Narwhal 2. The subscriptions will be there to cover the cost of using the Reddit API. I am still figuring out what to do for heavy power users, but there may be a base plan which includes X number of API requests/month and you can top up your balance with another purchase. The subscription will likely be in the $4-$7 range to start. It may change based on total usage of the app (either up or down) to cover the costs of using the reddit API.
Yes, this means Narwhal 2 is finally going to see the light of day. Is it perfect? No. Is it as finished as I wanted it to be before I released it? No. But it makes the most sense to put subscriptions in Narwhal 2 instead of the current app.
TLDR; Narwhal is not going anywhere on July 1st. Subscriptions will be coming over the next few months.
Ask me anything in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer! Also, let me know if this is something that you actually want me to do. Are you willing to subscribe to continue using Narwhal?
Thank you everyone!
I would have been willing to pay reddit $3 directly if it meant avoiding ads entirely before all of this blew up.
Make their content for them AND pay them for the privilege.
Ehh, don’t interpret me as being in favor of HOAs, but like, if $3 helped me connect with a huge userbase over the hobbies I enjoy, I’m willing to pay it to live in a gated online community.
My hobbies are not tech related. I have not found a new home or sense of community on kbin. That’s just the reality of what I’ve lost by boycotting reddit on principle. In my offline world, I have paid to be a member of hobby communities just to offset the costs of organizing events and reserving group spaces. Arguably, I’m paying for the privilege to go there and “share content” through my presence. This isn’t a big deal to me if I’m engaging the platform.
$3 would be a steal if I were a power user. $3 might be not worth it if I’m just a lurker.