Apollo founder Christian Selig said he’s “heartbroken” about pulling the plug on the third-party app following Reddit’s API pricing changes.
I used Reddit for over a decade, and much of that was with Apollo. Not going back purely because of how they treated Christian and the other 3rd party devs
I’ve said this before elsewhere, but all of the spez BS aside, I used RiF for reddit. To me, that was Reddit. 95% of my time on reddit was through the lens of RiF.
They are effectively getting rid of reddit for me by forcing RiF to shutdown.
Good way of putting it. Their app was so horrible that I went from PAYING and using their app to moving to Apollo. I tried using it after they bought Blue Alien but it got worse and worse and finally I gave up paying and moved. Reddit died with third party useful apps.
Before the APIcalypse, I thought about quitting reddit. Now that my 3rd party app died, quitting has never been easier. I tried to check the site with a mobile browser, but I can’t collapse comments, so that ended up being a very quick visit.
Exactly my scenario. They really fucked the chicken up with the move to charge for API access.
It’s amazing how history always finds a way of repeating itself. The ignorance to not acknowledge what happened to digg, and what sent so many to deadit is laughable. I would be very interested to see what traffic looks like now to reddit, and how much of it is coming from their app, which I think they said they will start charging a monthly subscription fee for. That CEO should have the cheese touch after that debacle.
Lmao a subscription to use the app
THEY ARE CHARGING FOR THE APP???
What alternate reality are they living in?
FFS. It doesn’t even work half the time.
You’d think that knowing they were going to do this they’d have put some effort into making it work a bit better, but no.
Really a subscription for the basic tier app? That would be madness.
Of course it’s madness now that they charge $50/year now for premium. It was paying the highest’ tier of Apollo and it was $10/year and actually had features I wanted.
I used Apollo and I feel ya. I used to keep the default app installed so I could claim free gifts but it wasn’t worth ending up in the official Reddit app on accident while browsing the web :P Yeah, it’s that bad.
100% agree, hate to see it go down like that but they made their decisions
Hell yeah. 16 years here, and as part of some big happenings early on. (RIP I_RAPE_CATS)
Haven’t touched Reddit since Apollo died.
Yep, deleted mine yesterday. Their disdain for the mods that provide free labor and for the users in general with their lazy “they’ll get over it” attitude was the deal breaker. Fuuuuuck Reddit.
Everyone keeps commenting on how federation feels “emptier” than Reddit, but honestly all I did after 15 or so years on Reddit is doom scroll. I just lurked and felt miserable. There IS less content here and because of that I visit for a shorter period of time and that FREEs me up to do other, more productive things with people I know outside of social media. After the past few weeks of learning about the tech and the why and how of the land I think I like the balance here.
Nine year redditor here; I never fell into the doomscrolling that so many others talk about, and I will miss Reddit, but something I’ve discovered is that while it’s difficult to get a “toe hold” in the fediverse, once you do, there is way more content here than I ever knew about on Reddit.
Not saying that Reddit didn’t have it, but rather that I never got curious enough to poke around beyond my main block of subs that I’d curated over that decade. There are entire domains here devoted to science or philosophy or retro gaming, and it really does look like they’re vibrant and active. Finding them is the issue, which really is the big problem with the fediverse in the first place.
There really isn’t a great cut-and-switch over to Lemmy that will make a redditor feel like nothing has changed, but the discovery process isn’t too much different from Reddit, and I think people need to remember that their Reddit experience wasn’t built in a day. My suggestion is to take a more curious approach rather than the “Reddit’s dead, what’s its identical replacement?” that I see, because there really isn’t one and, even if there was, it’d be just as susceptible to the same disease that is currently killing Reddit (and Twitter).
I think this is great. It’s a new opportunity for all of us to define something new - whatever that means to each of us.
See, I have to agree with how it feels empty. I very carefully curated the subs I looked at on reddit. I was there for very specific news and discussion and memes about my various hobbies and interests all compiled into a single easy to access place. This does not fill my needs yet. But hopefully we can start filling that niche going forward.
That’s exactly my experience- Reddit was really my only social media for most of the last 5 years. I had everything I wanted in one place, and multireddits in Apollo kept it all running smoothly
Totally agree that I want more variety. As with any adventure only time will tell if this is worth it as far as a time investment.
Rather than simply look to Lemmy as a replacement, I’ve also been trying not just not need to look at a screen constantly.
Honestly, in addition to the doom scrolling, because there is less here at the moment, I feel like I can contribute more without feeling like I’m talking to an empty field after a festival. This place will grow, but hopefully it doesn’t turn out to be as Reddit is.
It feels like Lemmy has gotten significantly better over the last few days. I’m having to close out much less frequently
I haven’t read more than a handful of books in the last decade; I’m sure it’s because I got my reading fix on Reddit instead. I’m really curious how this will change in the future.
Stopped using Reddit on mobile for a while when they announced they were killing 3rd party apps. Replaced it with the Apple “Books” app, and I’ve gone through 2 books already. Highly recommend it lol
I’m the same way - I don’t read anymore. I have a BA in English. I should love reading. I am also in a career that involves a bunch of reading and writing, so I am also kinda burned out at the end of the day by stressful content; and Reddit did always have something fun and dumb to look at along with the doom. (Oh, can’t forget about the great Google search sourcing - I do miss that)
Crazy question, I’ve seen the phrase doom scroll a few times- I get the scroll, but not the doom? I feel like I’m missing something
I take it to mean people just scrolling and scrolling their life away, because they are addicted to see what else will appear next. A lot of social media tries to get this happening on purpose so people use their service more and more.
Happy to explain! For me doom scrolling is the tendency to be attracted to the top trending posts of the last 24 hours on Reddit - specifically bad or triggering news. Perhaps for some people that would be news only about social movements or political policies that are frightening for them or their loved ones. Hence a sense of “doom” when scrolling through the feed. Another example might be posts related to Ukraine and Putin’s tactical nukes being moved to Belarus. It all depends on the individual but it’s usually triggering shit that you really don’t need to see more of …
That’s an interesting take and would have been much harder to digest if I saw a comment like that on reddit. However, most of the things I was viewing were all doom and gloom with some exceptions.
I would start the day, looking at doom and gloom and wonder why my anxiety and stress seemed to coincide at the same time. 2 days now and I can clearly see how even scrolling through that stuff was bad for my mental health. I’m still interested in keeping an eye on news but not to that same level again. I kind of feel reset if that makes any sense. While I think the CEO is a dumbass for doing that, I think as time goes on, I might actually be thankful that it happened.
Either way, realizing now how the constant scrolling was a negative impact for me, and dipped my bucket every single morning, I am now aware and can try to learn from it.
Never heard of that term, but making a blind guess… “doom scroll” is basically searching for world/daily tragedies and projecting one’s insecurities towards such, i.e “HAHA that guy deserved to be trashed!.. even more than I do.”
Yeah I agree. Of course it feels empty. But so did reddit. it’s just a different kind of empty. At reddit it was like walking lonely halls that went on forever. Here, at least, it feels like there’s only twenty-seven people all stuck on the face of a brand new habitable planet. It really feels like a fresh start, and it’s up to us to make this place better for everyone.
Yep, smaller, but a tighter group of like-minded folks.
I’m a part of that group. I see 24 people wish I’d kick rocks haha, I get it.
Look, I’m sure most of the refugees agree with me. If we don’t fit in we’ll leave.
So far I’m digging Lemmy. I wish it was more active, but if it’s gonna grow it will.
It broke my heart to leave Reddit after 15-16 years, but it’s not that same place any more any way.
So, hello fellow Apollo refugees.
Not being able to browse on mobile killed it for me. Most of my browsing was on mobile via Apollo. I refuse to get the official app after this stunt so now I’m just not using Reddit.
Luckily wefwef is making the transition easy and familiar.
I never used Apollo but I’m really liking wefwef.
This app has totally blown me away. I always considered PWAs a gimmick, but they’re kind of a “now it works” version of the original iPhone 3rd party apps concept
PWAs have been held back by Apple for a very long time so I’m glad that started to gain traction now.
Man, the astroturfing for wefwef around here is insane. I keep seeing it get brought up even in completely unrelated threads!
Apollo had a huge loyal customer base.
Wefwef provides an almost perfectly cloned UI and is a mere WebApp.
For this reason a lot of users are so impressed with it that they are evangelising it.
The big problem with it that it requires users to submit their login credentials, which is a bit of a security issue.
Unfortunately all apps are suffering that issue because Lemmy doesn’t support OAuth2. It’s one of the many things on the dev backlog, but hopefully it won’t be too long.
Can you say more about the security issues?Asking for a technology dummy friend.
You need to supply the app with your username and password. The app could theoretically steal your credentials when you enter them in order to login. It’s a good reason to not reuse passwords.
Also enable 2fa on your Lemmy account
Oof, I didn’t give this thought when I signed in. I luckily didn’t reuse my password here but that’s a great reminder, and good to know my exposure…
Removed by mod
After enrolling in TestFlight, I’ve tried mlem and Liftoff (which is what I’m replying to you on now). Wefwef is good but I’m hoping to use an actual app long term.
Neither are quite Apollo and I’m really hoping Christian throws his hat back in the ring but they’re solid experiences so long as Lemmy itself doesn’t run into issues.
Memmy on TestFlight is pretty solid
I mean, maybe users are just excited about finding a place to land after the exodus, and an app that does feel very similar to Apollo.
I am using it based off seeing it mentioned a couple times and was very pleasantly surprised it’s similar to Apollo. Definitely makes the transition easier.
I used reddit is fun but it’s the same story. Literally 15 years using that website daily.
Same deal, we both got fucked by Reddit.
What sucks is I’m sure you’d have paid to stay on RIF and I know I would have paid to stay on Apollo.
What a bummer that dickshit spez couldn’t see past his own nose.
Narwahl decided to try the subscription model. It should cost around 4-7 €/month. Unfortunately, I don’t think Reddit is that valuable to me, so I’ll just stick with Lemmy instead.
Pro Tip, list view has made this feel very much like RIF.
Pro Tip, list view has made this feel very much like RIF.
Same here, since 2017. I cannot recommend wefwef enough if you’re not already on it.
👋
Reddit is Fun user here… I had 15 years on reddit, I was part of their FCC filing in favor of Net Neutrality… I’m not going back.
It’s not just about shutting down the apps, it’s about the utter disdain they showed the communities and the users.
Rip RIF, you served us well all these years.
I’m sort of motivated by laziness. When RIF stopped working I thought oh well, guess I just use Lemmy on my phone.
When old.reddit stops working some day I do the same for the desktop. Reddit is literally driving me away. How badly can they fuck up? The modern reddit they are trying to push on us is not the reddit I signed up for 11 years ago.
But, but, it’s the one they can monitize for their IPO! ;)
I’m the same, used RIF for 10 years and really miss it. I would love a Lemmy app that rivals how good RIF was.
Started with Jerboa on Android, it was fine, found wefwef and downloaded the app for that, it’s just about perfect.
After Apollo’s API token was invalid, I deleted my account. I know it’s a minuscule drop in the ocean for Reddit, but not matter, I’m with Lemmy and the fediverse come what may.
Same, in the optional feedback box, I told them to fire Spez
Same. Can’t do much, but I think voting with our feet is the right thing to do.
I think this is also true for a lot of long term power-users of reddit. So, LOTS of drops in the ocean.
I can confirm. The drop wouldn’t impact me until they drop
old.reddit.com, but I dropped Reddit because of moral reasons.
I also deleted my account on Friday. Yea, we are just few drops, but enough drops have an impact.
I haven’t deleted my account, but I deleted every post and comment.
worth keeping your account on the off chance someone with a brain takes over and unfucks the place or you can find a good price to sell it to spammers.
I’ve also kept my account for the time being in case they want to revert any comments. Will be deleting in a few days.
hey, that’s me! I’m a redditor that walked away after Apollo shutdown!
I deleted my Reddit account. I almost exclusively browsed on mobile and I won’t be caught dead using Reddit’s useless official ap. Hi Lemmy.
Hi! I’m in the same boat. Part of me is sad to leave (15 year account) but the more bigger part of me is looking forward to seeing how lemmy grows with this migration.
It does genuinely feel like a new world even though I’d only been on reddit for a half-dozen years.
I’ve actually been using the Reddit app for quite some time now and I don’t get the hate. Regardless of that, the way Reddit handled all of this was enough for me to leave anyway. Hi Lemmy!
I used sync on Android for about 10 years, and reddit is fun (“rif”) for maybe a year before that. I used the official app yesterday to look for any top posts about the lost traffic on reddit and the app was stuttery and was impossible to find even the easiest of things. They’ve had their requirements and priorities change over the years as middle management comes and goes and so the app doesn’t have a unified and streamlined experience, which many of us on 3rd party apps have gotten used to. Which is sad since most 3rd party apps are the efforts of a single individual vs a 100s of employee, first party company.
IIRC, the official Reddit app used to be third party app Alien Blue. They didn’t even build their official app, they just bought a premade one.
Nothing of Alien Blue was really left, they just destroyed it and replaced it with their own crap
Goes to show how difficult it can be for teams to build good products when there’s a million stakeholders involved vs one stakeholder (plus users). It can be done of course, but only if managed well. Which Reddit obviously didn’t.
I tried the official app 5 or 6 years ago but it really sucked, was way too bright and killed my phone’s battery life. Settled for RedReader and never looked back.
RedReader only got better, the Reddit app had some features slowly trickle in years too late, and got worse and had bugs that took ages to fix.
I was using it enough that I would have considered paying for premium or gold if Reddit was to co-operate to add-in API features like poll voting. But with their such antagonistic approach, I started winding down my Reddit usage in late April and ramping up with Lemmy. Despite RedReader being given an exception, I’m leaving it permanently. I’m not posting or commenting anymore.
I stepped away from Reddit after Apollo shut down in part out of spite and to stand against the crap from Reddit but mostly because Apollo made Reddit usable.
Try wefwef.app my fellow ex-Apollo users
Using it right now, it’s like a warm blanket.
A warm blanket that feels familiar huh
100%. Been checking out Lemmy with Wefwef for last couple of days and I don’t have a single urge to go back to Reddit. Trying to be more active now to do my bit to make Lemmy successful.
Yep, using it right now. I honestly don’t even miss the other site anymore, though Apollo (and AlienBlue) will always have a place in my heart.
The other site that shall not be named lol
Jokes aside, it’s Apollo and Boost for me
I’m pissed at HOW they did it. Without an ounce of respect for the user base. They could have made it affordable and turned a profit out of 3rd party apps, they could have been more civil on the communications, they could have explained the problem and asked suggestions, even if they had no intentions on doing something else.
But they choosed a huge FU, not only to it’s end users, but to people that were trying to make reddit a better place, either at barely a profit, or with volunteer work.
They could have just straight up said, “hey, we are getting rid of third party apps because we need to consolidate where our users browse reddit for our IPO”. I would have been annoyed, but the way they pretended that all that TPA devs were too unreasonable to work with their outrageous terms genuinely pissed me the fuck off.
When the controversy first started, I thought reddit was doing the ol “announce something way worse than what we actually intend so when we compromise and get what we really want everyone will be happy” but no, they didn’t budge at all and acted like assholes in the process. If they just remained silent the whole time that would have been better. Instead they showed how they truly do not care about their users.
Let’s be realistic here, there’s very little chance that a significant portion of users migrate out. It’s cool. We don’t have to obsess about our ex.
I know I am migrating!
same haha
I’m not sure if you’re old enough to remember Digg, but they also alienated their users which caused users to migrate to Reddit.
The situations are vastly different. Digg was nowhere near as popular as reddit, and neither was social media in general. There’s a huge majority of people on reddit who don’t care about API prices and don’t want the old reddit back. They just want to see le funny meme and read made up stuff, they’re not gonna jump ship for some drama.
The only ones who care about that and want the old reddit back is us, right here. Which is cool because we have an opportunity to make it before the normies find out about it !
I’m not an Apollo user but still quit reddit because of the disgusting handling not only of third party app but also of the mods and users. Reddit isn’t deserving any of my time anymore. So far I’m enjoying lemmy and hope it stays free of corporate greed!
I found the attitudes behind the API changes and handling the whole thing problematic enough that I am here now. Deleted thousands of comments and posts on my way out.
Same, and I was active on hobby forums where I answered questions. I feel bad for the people who responded to me year(s) later thanking me, but reddit doesn’t need the SEO boost
After 12 years, I walked away. No Apollo, no Reddit. I like it here just fine.
Did you try wefwef? It’s pretty much has the same interface as Apollo
I’ve been reading about it today. I’m going to give it a go. Thank you!
Just started using it a few mins ago, its awesome! Better than Lemmy I think. I had to use my browsers ‘install app’ option to get the cloud app on the phone.
Just loaded it up myself. I am pleasantly surprised how easy it is to use and looks and acts like Apollo. Wef wef just made this transition infinitely better.
Apollo for Lemmy when?
wefwef says it’s inspired by apollo
Wefwef hella laggy on my device. Scrolling is not smooth at all
It works tremendously for me, and that’s not hyperbole. Everything runs smoothly and I haven’t experienced any lag yet.
It’s really good for me other than typing replies sometimes is a bit laggy. And deleting the text if I make a mistake can be slow. Though it seems fine right now for some reason. You ever come across that?
No. I haven’t had a single issue. I’ve only been using it a few days though.
Did you install or just use the browser version?
I am using the homescreen shortcut which they recommend. I will give it another shot, it seems smoother right now.
I know this isn’t technically the same thing, but we feed.app is pretty nice.
Memmy has been giving me Apollo vibes and has made the transition way easier
Apollo shutting down forced me to confront my Reddit addiction. I used Reddit to escape my life. Even if it was just 5 minutes to take a break from work, or remove myself from reality to avoid anxiety or boredom. It became a crutch and an addiction. Instead of focusing on trying to change the moment or situation I’d escape instead.
It’s a lazy crutch to give yourself dopamine when in reality we all should be focusing on self improvement. Delayed gratification instead of immediate release. It sucks the various communities will die but at least my health can improve.
I moved my Lemmy app to the same location I’d habitually press sync for reddit. Im as addicted to pressing that part of my screen as I am reddit itself
These kinds of media can be used for self-improvement though. I’m sorry that it’s merely an escape for you and I hope you find the peace you’re searching for.
Until it is replaced with your shiney brand new Lemmy addiction.
