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Reddit restricts Old Reddit access and ends RSS feeds

Reddit restricts Old Reddit access and ends RSS feeds

Rule Changes

Fight against AI scraping closes public API by March 2027 and limits classic site to recent logged-in users

3 days ago: Reddit restricts Old Reddit, ends RSS, closes API

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Reddit is restricting access on three fronts at once. On September 30, the company said it will end RSS feeds on November 13, shut its public API by March 2027, and restrict Old Reddit to logged-in users who visited the classic layout in the past six months — new accounts and inactive users lose access entirely.

The changes trace to one driver: AI companies scraping Reddit's forums to train models. Reddit sells that same data through licensing deals, so it is walling off the free routes. The cost lands on researchers, third-party developers, and the longtime users who chose the text-heavy layout because it was fast and open.

Why it matters

Reddit's archive is closing to free access while the company sells that same data to AI firms — hitting researchers, developers, and power users.

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Key Indicators

Nov 13, 2026
RSS shutdown date
Reddit ends RSS feed support on this date.
Mar 2027
Public API closure
Reddit phases out public API access by March 2027.
$1M
Developer migration fund
Reddit's bounty program to move app developers onto Devvit.
21 yrs
Old Reddit's age
The classic layout has been live since Reddit's 2005 launch.
$43M
Q2 non-advertising revenue
Reddit's 'other revenue' besides ads, up 24% year over year.
6 mos
Old Reddit recent-usage window
Logged-in users must have visited Old Reddit in the past six months to keep access.

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People Involved

Organizations Involved

Timeline

April 2023 March 2027

8 events Latest: 3 days ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date
  1. Public API fully closes

    Upcoming Policy

    All remaining public API access shuts down; developers must operate on Devvit.

  2. Unregistered apps lose API access

    Upcoming Policy

    Reddit removes API access for apps and users that did not register with the developer platform.

  3. RSS feeds end

    Upcoming Policy

    Reddit ceases RSS support across the platform as scheduled.

  4. New API access requests stop

    Upcoming Policy

    Reddit stops accepting new public API access requests.

  5. Reddit restricts Old Reddit, ends RSS, closes API

    Latest Policy

    Reddit limits Old Reddit to recent logged-in users; RSS ends November 13; public API closes by March 2027.

  6. Login required for old.reddit.com

    Policy

    Reddit starts requiring users to log in before accessing Old Reddit, citing automated scraping.

  7. Apollo and third-party clients shut down

    Business

    Apollo, RIF, and other third-party Reddit clients close after the new API terms take effect.

  8. Reddit announces API pricing hikes

    Policy

    Reddit sets fees that third-party app developers say will bankrupt their products.

Scenarios

1

Reddit retires Old Reddit entirely

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Engadget and Lifehacker note Reddit has not ruled out ending the classic interface.

If the six-month usage rule drives Old Reddit traffic down far enough, Reddit could decide the classic interface is no longer worth maintaining. Huffman has said his preferred outcome is rebuilding Old Reddit on a modern tech stack, but he has not promised it survives. A retirement decision would complete a phase-out that began with the June login requirement.

2

RSS feeds end November 13 as scheduled

Likely Resolves by Nov 15, 2026

Discussed by: Reddit's official announcement to moderators and r/redditdev.

Reddit set November 13 as the RSS end date, citing large-scale scraping. It offered moderators a Devvit-based relay app as an alternative but no replacement for outside RSS uses. Absent a reversal, Reddit domains stop serving RSS feeds on that date.

3

Public API fully closes by March 2027

Likely Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: TechCrunch and Unite.AI

Reddit's timetable phases out the public Data API: new requests stop October 31, 2026; unregistered apps lose access January 12, 2027; full closure in March 2027. Developers must migrate to Devvit, Reddit's controlled developer platform, or lose programmatic access.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

February-July 2023

Twitter/X API restrictions (2023)

After Elon Musk's takeover, Twitter ended free API access, launched paid tiers, and cut off third-party clients Tweetbot and Twitterrific. The company removed its cheapest paid tier in May 2023, crashing API-based features.

Then

The third-party client market collapsed, and developers lost bulk data access. Twitter began charging for data it had previously given away.

Now

The episode set the template for platforms selling data access and pushing external developers out.

Why this matters now

Twitter showed how a platform can close its data feed and sell access. Reddit is following the same path with its API and RSS shutdowns.

April-July 2023

Reddit API pricing and blackout (2023)

Reddit announced API fees in April 2023 that priced out third-party apps like Apollo. Thousands of subreddits went private in a protest that began June 12; Reddit did not change course.

Then

Apollo, RIF, and other third-party clients shut down by July 2023. Reddit pushed users to its official app.

Now

Reddit firmly established control over how users reach its content, setting the stage for later restrictions.

Why this matters now

The direct predecessor to today's moves: the same company, the same impulse to control access, now extended to Old Reddit and RSS.

July 2013

Google Reader shutdown (2013)

Google closed its RSS reader on July 1, 2013, ending a service millions used to follow blogs and news. Users scattered to alternatives like Feedly, and RSS lost its mainstream foothold.

Then

RSS dependence on a single platform became clear; feed reading turned into a niche tool.

Now

The event remains the standard example of how quickly an ecosystem can vanish when one host kills a feed tool.

Why this matters now

Reddit's RSS removal strands the same kind of users who lost Google Reader, showing how fragile open-web tools are to platform decisions.

Sources

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