Developers of disabled third-party Twitter clients ask users to forgo refunds
Enlarge / The "I don't need a refund" button as viewed in the Tweetbot app. (credit: Tapbots)
Elon Musk's "extremely hardcore" version of Twitter abruptly and unexpectedly cut off API access for popular third-party Twitter clients back in January, citing unnamed "long-standing API rules" that the apps had apparently been breaking. The company later retconned its developer agreement to prohibit "a substitute or similar service or product to the Twitter Applications."
For the former developers of Tweetbot and Twitterific, two of the longest-lived and most popular third-party Twitter clients, this meant losing their biggest products and revenue streams, and potentially refunding subscribers who suddenly couldn't use the apps they were paying for.
Tapbots and The Iconfactory (developers of Tweetbot and Twitterrific, respectively) have released one last update for their Twitter apps, walking users through the process of dealing with their expired subscriptions. If users want a prorated refund (back-dated to January 12, the last day both clients functioned normally), they don't need to take any action; both apps will be giving out prorated refunds to subscribers they don't hear from. But the apps also include a button that allows users to opt out of their refunds, allowing the developers to keep that money to fund future projects.