Reddit is ending its support for RSS feeds. The company stated that RSS has become a common surface for large-scale scraping and automated abuse. This change forms part of several updates announced on Wednesday.
Reddit noted that RSS has been a beloved part of the open web for a long time. The platform expressed gratitude to everyone who used it to stay connected to Reddit. RSS lets users and applications access website updates in a standardized format.
The format gained popularity in the blogging era as a way to subscribe to new posts in news-reading apps. Google once operated the most popular version before shutting it down in 2013. Feedly and other indie applications subsequently took over that market.
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For moderators using RSS channels for alerts, Reddit recommends shifting to the Discord Relay Devvit app. The company advised migrating workflows before November 13 to avoid disruption. Reddit stated there is no replacement for RSS feeds used outside moderators' communities.
Moderators previously worried about workflow impacts after Reddit hinted at this shift. Users also stressed that RSS was how they enjoyed accessing Reddit content. Another major change involves the end of public API access by March 2027.
Closing the public API impacts AI assistants
Closing the public API impacts social listening products, researchers, and AI assistants. These assistants will need commercial deals with Reddit for data after public access ends. Reddit also shared updates on its Rules Hub and auto-mod changes.
Reddit is adding safeguards to Old Reddit to combat abusive scraping and automated traffic. The company will limit access to logged-in moderators and recent users who used Old Reddit in the last six months. Reddit adjusted this timeframe from 90 days to six months.
Developers building approved third-party apps and bots must register them with Reddit before January 12, 2027. Reddit will remove API access for any unregistered developer after that date.
