When Twitter got around to launching official apps for Android, iOS, BlackBerry, and other platforms, many of us were left wondering what this meant for companies that had made a business out of offering third party clients for posting updates and following your contacts. As it turns out, we needn’t have worried (at the time), since competition from Twitter simply drove up the pressure for third party Twitter apps like Twidroyd to offer new features such as previews of web pages mentioned in URLs, skins, and dual-pane view.
But today Twitter blocked access to Twidroyd, UberTwitter, and UberCurrent. The iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry apps are all owned and operated by UberMedia. A Twitter spokesperson says the apps were violating the company’s terms, with violations including trademark infringement and privacy issues.
It sounds like UberMedia should be able to work things out with Twitter to regain access to the service. In the meantime, Twitter is pointing out that it does offer its own client for each of the affected mobile platforms… which goes to show two of the problems associated with running a business that relies on someone else’s data: they can shut off the spigot at any point, and they’re always going to have the home field advantage.
Update: UberMedia says it’s working with Twitter to resolve the issues and get back to business. Among other changes, it looks like UberTwitter will be renamed UberSocial soon.
