It made its iOS app icon very ugly

It is quite possible that we are witnessing the death of one of the internet’s favorite social media platforms in real time. after Charge for accessing its API And trying to quash subsequent protests via interviews with the veteran CEO, Reddit has now made its iOS app’s code into a tacky 8-bit monster.

Yesterday, iOS developer Benjamin May chirp A screenshot reveals to the public that Reddit has revamped its app code. While design tweaks are standard practice for companies to keep their branding fresh and/or signal a fresh start, Reddit may have single-handedly made the ugliest app icon ever — yes, worse than Instagram replacing the Polaroid camera icon with a hideous purple gradient. The new icon is an anomaly on Reddit’s logo — a strange creature known as a Snoo versus an orange circle — but this time it’s inspired by an old video game. Reddit hasn’t changed the app icon on the Google Play Store (Until now).

Reddit’s old icon is now behind a paywall, indicating that the company knows the new icon is bad. Reddit mobile users can swap the icon for a different one through the app’s internal settings, but the ability to switch is only available to Reddit Premium members. Reddit Premium is the VIP section of the platform, which promises an ad-free experience for $6.99 a month. While Reddit is clearly trying to make more money Chasing an IPO later this yearThis is an odd move for a veteran platform and could be a sign that the platform is in dire straits financially as it chases every last opportunity, big or small, to earn some extra cash.

screenshot: gizmodo

When asked about the updated code, a Reddit spokesperson told Gizmodo in an email that this is a temporary change. The spokesperson also directed us to posts from the official Reddit account to the platform’s subreddit and subreddit for Place — a community pixel art project that typically runs on the platform during the summer — suggesting that the code update is a promotion for the project. The spokesperson also told Gizmodo that the app’s icon should be updated sometime today in the Google Play Store.

Related: Fidelity says Reddit’s rating has fallen even further

In April, Reddit announced that it would charge companies for API access. Reddit did not release the cost of its API to the public after announcing it, Steve Hoffman, founder and CEO of Reddit, told New York times He believes it is time to “tighten things up” at the company. It wasn’t until an exchange between Reddit and third-party app Apollo that it was revealed that the discussion platform was planning to charge $12,000 per 50 million requests for access to its API — an unsustainable number for most programmers.

Moderators of thousands of subreddits later protested the news by making their communities private for at least two days. Most of them have returned, while some haven’t.Others have become more creative in their tactics. while all, Reddit CEO Steve Hoffman fanned the flames by antagonizing the platform’s user base. Reddit claims that the decision to charge its API is intended to prevent AI companies from corrupting its website for data. While this may be true, it is much more reasonable for the platform to see it as a viable source of income, in much the same way. Twitter did just that when CEO Elon Musk realized he wasn’t making enough money.

Update July 19th, 11:35 a.m. EST: This article has been updated to include a comment from a Reddit spokesperson.