In a wave of announcements for both moderators and developers, Reddit revealed some disappointing news for advocates of open web standards: it will discontinue support for RSS feeds. The company justified this move, stating that RSS has increasingly become a "common surface for large-scale scraping and automated abuse," prompting them to phase out this feature.
Reddit expressed its appreciation for the role RSS has played in the open web, acknowledging it as a cherished tool for many users to engage with the platform. The official cessation of RSS feeds is slated for November 13, according to the announcement, which also mentioned that the public API will be fully terminated by March 2027.
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication/Rich Site Summary, provides a standardized format for users and applications to receive website updates. Its popularity surged during the height of blogging, allowing readers to subscribe to updates easily. While Google once provided a leading RSS service, it shut it down in 2013, allowing other players like Feedly and independent apps to thrive.
The decision to eliminate RSS support is particularly notable as Reddit has been leveraging its vast user-generated content for profitable AI licensing deals. In its latest quarterly report, Reddit noted a 24% year-over-year increase in "other revenue," reaching $43 million, suggesting that the company is hesitant to relinquish valuable data without compensation.
In response to moderators who have relied on RSS for alerts, Reddit is recommending the transition to the Discord Relay Devvit app. The company urges moderators and their teams to reassess their processes and adapt before the shutdown date to avoid disruptions. However, they clarified that there are no alternatives to replace the RSS functionality for broader community feeds.
Concerns have already surfaced among moderators regarding how this will alter their workflow, especially as feedback poured in after Reddit hinted at eliminating RSS. Many users have voiced that RSS was their preferred method for consuming Reddit content, and fears about the platform potentially becoming unwieldy were widely expressed.
This change is just one of several updates Reddit rolled out on Wednesday. Another significant shift includes the termination of public API access, which is scheduled to end by March 2027. This will affect various tools that utilize the API for accessing Reddit discussions programmatically, including those designed for social listening, research, and AI applications. Following the API closure, these assistants would no longer be able to leverage Reddit for commercial purposes.
Additionally, Reddit provided updates on its Rules Hub and auto-moderation features, announcing efforts to enhance protections for the classic version of the site, known as Old Reddit. Access will soon be restricted to logged-in moderators and users with prior activity in the last 90 days, a change also cited as necessary due to issues with scraping and automated traffic.
Lastly, the company reminded developers of approved third-party apps and bots to register with Reddit by January 12, 2027, to maintain their API access. Post this deadline, any unregistered developers will lose access to the API.
