Reddit old Reddit changes remain undefined as company shifts key tools
Reddit says it plans changes to Old Reddit to curb scraping and spam, but has not said the legacy site will close or set a timeline.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Reddit old Reddit changes are planned, but the company has not announced that it will shut down the legacy desktop site. Reddit says the work is intended to curb abusive scraping and spam, while users, moderators and developers still lack details on the eventual plan.
According to Ars Technica, Reddit said in a company blog post that it will make changes involving Old Reddit over time. The company described Old Reddit as a 21-year-old legacy desktop experience and said it needs to protect its platform, business and users from scraping and spamming.
Is Reddit shutting down Old Reddit?
No shutdown has been confirmed. Ars Technica reported that Reddit did not say Old Reddit would close, and spokesperson Rosa Kim said the company is exploring options rather than detailing a final outcome.
Kim also said Reddit has no firm timeline. She said the company plans to work with moderators, developers and communities that rely on its systems, and to provide updates as the work proceeds.
What Reddit says will change first
In the near term, Reddit will continue requiring people to sign in before using Old Reddit, according to the company’s statement reported by Ars Technica. It also plans to move critical bots and moderator workflows onto its modern technology stack.
Reddit began requiring sign-in for Old Reddit in late July, Ars Technica reported. At the time, a Reddit employee said the logged-out version of the site had become a significant source of abusive scraping and automated traffic.
Confirmed: Logged-in access will remain required for now, and Reddit intends to migrate key automation and moderation work.
Unconfirmed: The precise changes to Old Reddit, whether the site will be retired, and when any broader change would take effect.
The announcement comes alongside a wider push to place third-party automation under Reddit’s newer systems. Ars Technica reported that Reddit is restricting new API-access requests and directing third-party apps toward its Developer Platform. That shift is related to the company’s infrastructure plans, but it does not establish that Old Reddit will be removed.
The uncertainty follows a June comment, reported by Ars Technica, in which a Reddit employee said the company could not guarantee Old Reddit would remain available forever. The employee also pointed to earlier statements by Chief Executive Steve Huffman that Reddit would keep supporting the site while people continued to use it.
For now, the practical change for Old Reddit users is the sign-in requirement. The future of the interface, including its availability and design, remains undecided in the public details provided by Reddit.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.