Twitter's Token Limits vs Falcon Pro

I was considering featuring the Falcon Pro Twitter app for Android devices as one of our weekly app picks.  However, I am kind of glad that I didn't.  But not for the reason you may first think of. The app is an outstanding Twitter client for Android devices.  It is very fluid and offers a smooth user experience when using Twitter.  In my opinion, it is just much sleeker and useful than most other Twitter clients I have used (including the official Twitter client for Android).

So what is the problem?

You may be thinking that the developer might have nerfed some features or did some funky new thing with an update.  But none of that is true either.  The issue appears to be on Twitter's end.  How can this be?  Are they trying to choke out "3rd party" developers?  Don't they want people to use their service?

How: Twitter's API grants access to their service via "access tokens".  If you have ever used a Facebook or Twitter app that allows you to login using your account for a social media service instead of just setting up yet another account; then you have used access tokens too.  This is a popular way to sign into sites and services using mobile devices as well.  So, an access token is delivered to your app or device when you access your account for a particular service using one of these "other" client type apps.  Simple enough.  On the end user side, this makes it easy to use other services and clients without managing multiple logins.  There are some other challenges on the service side, such as token limitations.

For example, Twitter's access token limitation is 100k for a 3rd party type app or service.  Once you hit the 100,000 token limit.  That is it, new user's are no longer able to authenticate their app on Twitter.  Meaning if you buy a Twitter client app on the Google Play Store, and it can't authenticate on Twitter, you have useless app (at least from the purchaser's point of view).

This is exactly what happened to Joaquim Verges who is the developer of the acclaimed Falcon Pro app.  His app hit the 100k wall in less than 3 months, and that is "all she wrote".  Mr. Verges has since started a petition to try and get the community feedback to help encourage Twitter to raise this limit, but per the Falcon Pro Twitter account (@falcon_android) he has already received a correspondence from Twitter stating:

So let me get this straight, does this mean that Twitter won't raise the token limit at all?  Or if Falcon Pro offered some feature that Twitter's "official" client didn't have, it would then raise the limit?  The later is how I read it.  I know that Twitter controls what, who, how, and when can utilize their service.  I completely understand that.

But at the same time is it right of Twitter to slam a door in the face of a successful app developer?

It doesn't take a person long to realize this app has a pretty good user base by looking at the apps reviews on Google Play Store.

So what happens now?

Well, for Mr. Verges he has done only what one could sensibly do.  He has reached out to the community for participation in a petition and has contacted Twitter with his request.  At this point, Twitter has shot down his request; and I honestly don't know how much a petition would really help at this point.  In the meantime, Mr. Verges has placed a disclaimer on the app's Google Play Store page informing user's and potential buyers not to purchase the app due to the token limit from Twitter. He has also marked up the app price to $132.13 USD.  Not sure how he came to pick this price, but that's how much it costs now in attempt to discourage future user's from purchasing the app thus restricting it's growing user base without being forced to just shut down.

And that is not all.  The app's store page also requests that any user who is no longer using the app to please release the token from their app.  That will free up a token so other people can use the app would essentially drop the count below 100,000 tokens (at least until it is used by someone else).

My advice?

I am not an app developer (or much of a programmer either for that matter); but if I were Mr. Verges my next step would be to prove to Twitter how awesome my app was.  I would drop back and punt for lack of better puns.  Go through the official Twitter app and try to work up a feature or two that the official Twitter app doesn't offer.  And build on it.  Then see what Twitter's excuse is for not raising the cap.  My guess would be they will probably still shoot the request down, and probably add a couple new aforementioned features as well.

To Twitter...

As a company offering a social networking service to the internet community, I understand you're limitations concerning 3rd party developers, apps, and even services.  However, for Falcon Pro to hit this benchmark means that there is definitely something great about this app. Why not make Mr. Verges an offer to help with the current development of the official Twitter app?  Instead of choking out these smaller developers who make awesome apps, why not bring them on board and help build what you currently have going?  Just makes sense to me.

What happens now?

Well, Mr. Verges has tweeted out that he will continue to update the app and support it for current user's as he uses the client himself, and refuses to use an app that is outdated.  For which, I cannot blame him.  And personally, I will continue to use the app as well.  And in the meantime will continue to follow the progress on this and will report back if anything changes.

Ways to get involved:

It may seem somewhat ironic, but why not show Mr. Verges some support over on the Falcon Pro Twitter Account.

Go sign the petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/extend-falcon-pro

After all, Mr. Verges isn't the first and probably won't be the last that this type of thing happens to. Unfortunately, if we as the community don't get involved then this will continue to happen to other apps even across other services.