Reddit signals upcoming changes to old.reddit.com and starts restricting new API requests, pushing third-party apps to its Developer Platform, continuing its contentious relationship with developers and AI companies.
<p>Old.reddit.com’s days appear to be numbered.</p>
<p>Reddit has strayed from saying that it will shutter the website, which many long-time Redditors prefer for its layout, navigation, and fewer feed recommendations.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://redditinc.com/news/modernizing-reddits-infrastructure-and-moderation-tools">blog post</a> today, Reddit made a vague statement about upcoming “changes” to Old Reddit:</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/08/reddit-signals-ominous-upcoming-changes-for-old-reddit-com/">Read full article</a></p>
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# Reddit signals ominous upcoming "changes” for old.reddit.com
Source: [https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/08/reddit-signals-ominous-upcoming-changes-for-old-reddit-com/](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/08/reddit-signals-ominous-upcoming-changes-for-old-reddit-com/)
> We don’t have a hard timeline right now, but we will work directly with the mods, developers, and communities that depend on our systems and make sure to keep everyone updated\.
This follows June comments from a Reddit employee about Old Reddit, stating, “we can’t promise it will be around forever” while noting CEO Steve Huffman’s[earlier promises](https://www.reddit.com/user/spez/comments/1kfciml/reddits_next_chapter_smarter_easier_still_human/)to keep supporting the site while people still use it\.
## API access
Reddit has previously fought against unauthorized scraping by suing[Perplexity](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/reddit-keeps-weird-dmca-lawsuit-against-web-scraper-alive-despite-googles-loss/),[Anthropic](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/06/reddit-sues-anthropic-over-ai-scraping-that-retained-users-deleted-posts/), and others,[blocking the Internet Archive](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/reddit-blocks-internet-archive-to-end-sneaky-ai-scraping/), and[restricting crawler access](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/08/reddit-signals-ominous-upcoming-changes-for-old-reddit-com/a.%09https:/arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/07/non-google-search-engines-blocked-from-showing-recent-reddit-results/)for search engines it doesn’t have a deal with\.
Reddit also infamously started charging for access to its API in 2023\. Although the more immediate impact was the shuttering of[most third\-party Reddit apps](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/exploring-reddits-third-party-app-environment-7-months-after-the-apicalypse/), the[initial stated purpose](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/10/reddit-may-block-search-if-it-cant-reach-an-ai-deal-with-google-microsoft/)of reducing API access was to stop generative AI companies from using Reddit to train large language models for free\.
Reddit is building on those controversial API changes by starting to restrict new requests for access and requiring third\-party apps to move to[Reddit’s Developer Platform](https://developers.reddit.com/), it announced today\.
“We envision a future where all good, trusted automation on Reddit runs within an ecosystem that allows us to offer support and enforce our policies consistently,” Reddit’s blog said about the API changes\.
[The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/tech/975398/reddit-ai-rules-hub-moderator-old-reddit-developer-platform)reported today that developers who wish to make a third\-party Reddit mobile app will continue having to ask Reddit for API access, and that Reddit hasn’t set a date for when all apps will have to be on the Developer Platform\.
Kim told the publication that the shift will apply to “all API apps except the ones we explicitly grant exceptions to\.”
*Advance Publications, which owns Ars Technica parent Condé Nast, is the largest shareholder in Reddit\.*
Reddit is introducing Rules Hub, an AI-powered moderation suite that uses LLMs to automatically enforce community rules, expanding to all new communities ahead of a wider 2026 launch. The company also announced plans to require third-party apps to use its developer platform and continue efforts against unauthorized scraping.
Reddit reported strong Q2 earnings but saw its stock drop over 10% after warning that search referrals were 'choppy' amid AI-driven changes to search traffic. The company's reliance on AI licensing deals with Google and OpenAI sparked investor concerns about user growth.
This article exposes a pattern where major platforms like X, Reddit, and Stack Overflow train AI models on user-generated content for free, then charge exorbitant API fees for access to that same data, and ban users who protest or delete their content.
Reddit is rolling out a feature that alerts moderators when users frequently post in AI-related subreddits, aiming to help manage policy enforcement and potential spam.