Twitter API v1.1 has been revealed and it apparently puts forth a rather restrictive environment for app developers. The new rules that will be implemented to ensure a ‘consistent Twitter experience’ seem to make things stricter for third-party application creators.
As seen in earlier versions, anyone could access public data from the social networking website’s API without the company knowing who is using that particular information. To make sure that there is no mischief involved in the process, all API requests must be authenticated henceforth.
“At the end of June, I wrote about how we’re working to deliver a consistent Twitter experience, and how we would soon introduce stricter guidelines about how the Twitter API is used. I’d like to give you more information about coming changes to the API and the migration plan while offering insights into today’s Twitter ecosystem and why we’re making these changes,” states a post on the official Twitter Developer blog.
Secondly, third party developers cannot have more than 100,000 users for their apps. Those who have already surpassed the benchmark can grow their utilities up to 200% as part of the Rules of the Road. Once the said percentage is covered, the concerned developers must acquire permission from the micro-blogging site to add more users.
Pre-installed third-party mobile apps now require Twitter certification. Failure to do so may lead to revoking of the concerned application key. The website has also released a set of Display Requirements which every third-party developer must adhere to while designing their creations. The list includes actions such as retweet, favorite and links amongst others.
Once the new Twitter API v1.1 is let loose, app developers have 6 months to update from v1.0 to the latest.