Reddit will make “accessibility improvements” to several moderator tools in its official mobile apps by July 1, the company announced on Friday.
See also: Reddit: Threatens to remove moderators due to subreddit strike
Some moderators rely on third-party apps because Reddit’s apps have what they call “significant accessibility challenges,” and the accessibility team has expressed concerns about how they will moderate on mobile after popular apps like Apollo shut down on June 30 due to potentially costly API pricing changes. It seems this guide, which promises improvements to features like the moderation queue and the ModMail messaging system on Android and iOS, aims to assuage those fears.
Many users, including people with disabilities, are unhappy with the company’s plans and are in favor of keeping third-party apps. Some features won’t be available until late July or August, and some users are criticizing the company for this delay. A moderator named PotRoastPotato defended the disability communities and called the company’s actions “cruel.”.
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Moderators on r/Blind applaud Reddit for prioritizing accessibility features, but would prefer a more detailed corporate response. Reddit has invited mods to help test the features. In response to the outcry, the company has exempted some accessibility-focused apps from changes to its API. However, those API changes are partly responsible for the planned shutdown of r/TranscribersOfReddit, a community that transcribes audio-visual content for others.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman appears committed to making changes to accessibility—in response to a comment in his AMA criticizing Reddit's approach to accessibility, Huffman said that "for our own apps, there's no excuse" and promised that "we'll do better.".
Also read: Reddit: This Android app can survive the new API pricing
source of information:theverge.com
