A pair of popular third-party Twitter apps, including the only one designed for the new Windows 8 UI, are the latest to fall victim to the company's increasingly tight API restrictions.
Tweetro for Windows 8 has been denied permission to exceed the recently-introduced 100,000 token (user) limit, Twitter places on apps developed by outside companies.
The app reached the limit on November 10 and has been unsuccessful in his application for an exemption, meaning new Windows 8 users are unable to sign up.
Twitter has been progressively tightening restrictions on apps which access its timeline as it seeks to direct users to its official suite of apps and web services.
Does not qualify
Twitter told New Zealand-based developer Lazyworm in an email: "As you know, we discourage developers from building apps that replicate our core user experience (aka "Twitter clients"). We know that there are developers that want to take their passion for Twitter and its ecosystem to unique underserved situations. As such, we have built some flexibility into our policy with regard to user tokens – which went into effect September 5th, 2012.
"…Unfortunately, It does not appear that your service addresses an area that our current or future products do not already serve. As such, it does not qualify for an exemption."
The key word there seems to be 'future' as Twitter is yet to release an official client that plays nice with the new Windows 8 UI.
Tweet Lanes ends development
Another app to hit the 100,000 user limit is Tweet Lanes. As a result developer Chris Lacey will cease further development.
"It saddens me greatly to announce that going forward, I won't be actively developing Tweet Lanes as I have to this point," Lacey wrote to users.
"The cold hard reality is that with this immovable, 100,000 user ceiling, my plans for growing and eventually monetizing the app are no longer feasible.
"This will likely be disappointing news for many of you, but given I spent a good chunk of my spare time for 10+ months working on this app, believe me when I say this decision pains me more than it does anyone else."
The Twitter API changes will come into effect in March 2013, but the company, as evidenced by these developments, is already working hard on enforcing them.
