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MetroTwit Becomes the Latest Twitter Token Casualty
The popular Twitter client has hit a dead end because of Twitter's imposed access token limits set in place by the microblogging company in August of 2012.
Rod Trent
March 5, 2014
2 Min Read
Officially announced on October 13, 2012, MetroTwit became one of the very first, usable Twitter clients for Windows 8.
Per an announcement on the MetroTwit blog, the Twitter client has hit a dead end because of Twitter's imposed access token limits set in place by the microblogging company in August of 2012. The app developer states that, effective immediately, both the desktop installer and the Windows 8 store app will be removed.
For those with the app already installed, it will continue to work, however there's no evidence that Twitter could impose other limits that will eventually break the app because no further updates or support will be provided by the MetroTwit team. The very last app update, which includes a list of 23 fixes and features, was supplied on March 5 to mark the end of development.
MetroTwit is not the first Twitter client to be impacted by the access token limit. Even recently, the Twitter client Rowi also was forced to shutdown due to the same restrictions, leaving users frantically searching for a replacement at a moment's notice.
Historically, Twitter has never been able to develop a decent client of its own. 3rd party developers have stepped in where Twitter has #failed and provided excellent user experiences and features. However, because of Twitter's reluctance to increase the access token limit, every one of those 3rd party apps will eventually face the same dilemma.
Twitter's rule on token limits is stated as…
If your application already has more than 100,000 individual user tokens, you’ll be able to maintain and add new users to your application until you reach 200% of your current user token count (as of today) — as long as you comply with our Rules of the Road. Once you reach 200% of your current user token count, you’ll be able to maintain your application to serve your users, but you will not be able to add additional users without our permission.
For those that have relied on MetroTwit as their mainstay for Twitter activity on Windows 8 should look at Tweetium, which I've raved about for the past few months. In an effort to always be running the best client and have the best experience possible, I've tested every Twitter client that has been released for Windows 8. Though new to the mix, Tweetium is by far the best client and is updated frequently. If you are a MetroTwit user impacted by the recent announcement of end of life, definitely check out Tweetium as a replacement. You'll be happy you did.
Check out our coverage on Tweetium: Tweetium on WindowsITPro
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