Reddit Tightens Old Reddit Access And Ends Rss Support
Reddit will reserve Old Reddit for recent users and moderators, end RSS feeds, and move remaining public API access to its developer platform.
Reddit plans to further restrict access to Old Reddit, its classic desktop interface, as it tries to curb scraping and automated abuse. In the next few months, logged-in users will need to have used Old Reddit within the previous six months to keep accessing it. Logged-in moderators will be exempt, according to Engadget and The Verge.
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Who will still be able to use Old Reddit
Reddit recently began requiring a login to view Old Reddit. The company says that step reduced scraping and automated abuse, but it still left the interface open to any logged-in account, including accounts with no history of using it, The Verge reports.
The new rule will bar new accounts from Old Reddit and exclude existing users who have not used the interface within the six-month window. Reddit says that window includes the vast majority of Old Reddit users. Moderators who are logged in will not have to meet the recent-use requirement.
Reddit has not said it will shut down Old Reddit altogether. Engadget reports that CEO Steve Huffman has described a goal of rebuilding its familiar interface on a modern foundation. The Verge notes that Huffman said in May 2025 that Reddit would keep Old Reddit online while people used it, but said in August that changes were needed because the interface was being used for spam and scraping.
RSS feeds will end
Reddit will stop supporting RSS feeds on November 13, saying they have become a route for large-scale scraping and automated abuse. The change affects a way people have used to follow Reddit outside its own interface.
For moderation tasks, Reddit suggested alternatives including Discord Relay, according to The Verge. The outlet reports that Reddit offered no replacement for people who use RSS to follow feeds outside communities they moderate.
Developer access is changing, too
The restrictions come as Reddit moves apps and bots from its public data API to a more controlled developer platform. According to The Verge, Reddit will begin removing API access for users who have not registered their apps by January 12, 2027, and will end all remaining public API access in March 2027.
For developers maintaining Reddit-connected tools, those dates set a timetable for the transition. For users of Old Reddit, the immediate question is simpler: whether their account qualifies under the recent-use rule when it takes effect. Reddit has not announced a specific rollout date beyond the next few months.
Sources
This story was compiled by AI from the reports below. Read the originals for the full details.