Twitter announced Tuesday that it will make its API free to use for accounts that post public announcements such as weather alerts, transportation information, and emergency warnings.
The company said verified government or publicly owned services that post utility alerts will be eligible for free use of the API.
The social network announced its new API pricing tiers last month. It set a limit of 1,500 tweets per month for users of the free API tier and a limit of 3,000 tweets per month for users of the basic $100 tier. These restrictions weren’t enough for PSA accounts.
As a result, the National Weather Services (NWS) account tweeted last month that its ability to post automated tweets had been limited. The New York Metro Transit Service (MTS) also said it will end its Twitter public alert system operated through various accounts.
The change in the price of APIs has had a massive effect on various tools. In April, Microsoft removed the Twitter option from its social sharing tool for advertisers. At the same time, Flipboard announced that its Twitter integration had stopped working.
Last week, WordPress saying that users will not be able to automatically share their posts on Twitter using the Jetpack Social product.
While Elon Musk & Co. has made the use of the API free for certain government-run services, there is no clarity about the future of disaster management accounts that have relied on Twitter to manage the situation.
