Twitter announced on Tuesday that it is making its API free for accounts that post public announcements, such as weather alerts, transportation information, and emergency alerts.
The company said verified government or public services that post about public utility alerts are eligible for free API use.
The social network announced its new API pricing tiers last month. It placed 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 limits weren’t enough for public announcement accounts.
As a result, the National Weather Services (NWS) account tweeted last month that the ability to post automated tweets was limited. The New York Metro Transit Service (MTS) also said it will end its Twitter public warning system, which is operated through several accounts.
The change in API prices has had a huge effect on several tools. In April, Microsoft removed the option for Twitter from its social media sharing tool for advertisers. At the same time, Flipboard announced that the Twitter integration was no longer working.
WordPress last week said that users cannot automatically share their posts to Twitter using the Jetpack Social product.
Although Elon Musk & Co. has made API use free for certain government-run services, there is no clarity on the future of disaster management accounts that have relied on Twitter to manage the situation.