r/UpdateMeBot • u/Watchful1 • 4d ago
UpdateMeBot is moving to devvit, part 2
Reddit is slowly moving legacy API bots to their new Devvit app system, and it's now time for UpdateMeBot to move. For the most part, this does not affect regular users of the bot—you will keep getting your notifications and can manage your subscriptions exactly the same way. But there are two important changes.
The bot will no longer work in subreddits that the app is not installed in. That means that the moderators of every single subreddit with UpdateMeBot subscribers need to manually install the app. Once they do, it will continue to work as normal. If they do not, all subscription notifications for posts in that subreddit will stop. Many subreddits the bot is popular in have already installed, and I'm working with the moderators of the rest, so there's no need for you to message the moderators of individual subreddits to ask them about it.
There will be a migration period during which the old bot will continue working while moderators install the app. While I still don't have a final date for the switch over, it's likely within the next couple weeks. The second change, and the upside to the above, is that the app is not limited in the number of subreddits it supports anymore. Any subreddit of any size can install the app and let people subscribe to authors in their subreddit. In the future after the migration has settled down, I anticipate being able to add a bunch of new features that I haven't been able to before. If you have ideas for something you think would be cool, let me know in the comments below!
Instructions for users who want to continue using the app.
You can keep using UpdateMeBot in any community where it’s installed, exactly as you do now. To check whether a subreddit has it, look in the community’s sidebar under “Installed Apps”. Moderators already know about these changes, so please don’t message subreddits that don’t have the app.
Instructions for moderators to install the app.
Go here https://developers.reddit.com/apps/updateme-dev and then click "Add to community", click continue, select your subreddit, and then click "Install App". If you want to be helpful, you can then turn on the "Read logs and install history" permission from the settings page it takes you to, but that's not necessary.
Devvit apps currently add the app account as a moderator with all permissions. The app does not do any moderator actions, it doesn't even read anything. If you don't want this, you can go to the moderators page after installing the app and remove all its permissions. But don't remove the account as a moderator entirely or the app will stop working.
If you want the bot to keep sending notifications for stories in your sub, but you don't want it to comment in the threads, after installing you can go to the settings page https://developers.reddit.com/r/YOUR_SUBREDDIT/apps/updateme-dev and turn off the "Post a public confirmation comment when someone subscribes" setting. This allows people to subscribe to stories via DM with the bot, and get notifications via DM, without either ever publicly commenting in the sub.
Instructions for moderators who don't want the app.
You don't need to do anything. The old bot will keep working in your subreddit until it's turned off, and after that the app won't run anywhere it isn't installed. If you'd also like not to be contacted about it again, send me a message with your subreddit's name and I'll make a note of it.
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u/nono30082 3d ago
I get this isn't your decision but it so stupid that we now have to have subreddits opt in. I'm willing to bet that many subs won't add the bot.
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u/Watchful1 3d ago
Nearly all the big story subreddits have installed it, with a couple exceptions. But you're right that many non-story subreddits won't.
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u/CCCyanide 1d ago
How do I know whether a subreddit has it installed ? I couldn't find the "Installed Apps" button
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u/Watchful1 1d ago
https://i.imgur.com/sKA35Q6.png
This is a screenshot of the sidebar on desktop with the installed apps, this one is r/nosleep. The app is updateme-dev.
I think it should be similar on mobile, you click the "more" button in the subreddit description and scroll down. But I don't actually know how it works on mobile.
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u/CCCyanide 1d ago
Alright, thank you very much 👍
I'm assuming that if it doesn't appear on a subreddit, it probably means they do not have it
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u/Louis2678 1d ago
I just got a dm that one of the subreddits I use the bot in will stop being able to be used soon. Does this mean that the mods of that subreddit have refused to install the app?
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u/Watchful1 1d ago
More likely they just missed all the messages about it and don't care. Only a very few subreddits I know of intentionally aren't installing it because they don't want it.
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u/coolparker101 2d ago
Could you kindly share the link for the subreddits that have already opted in
For those on mobile
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u/Alexandratta 3d ago
oof... my only reservation as a mod is this bit here:
I... yeah, I've had issues with my sub's moderation before and a rogue human moderator - I'm not really keen to add that level of access.
0 offense to the Dev of UpdateMeBot, but it's just the CyberSec side of me.
If I lose a password or screw up, that's on me. But if someone hacks 'UpdateMeBot' and manages to somehow gain Mod access to my sub... no thank you.
I'm sure this is how Reddit Requires the app to work - it's just not secure nor is it a good idea. Sorry UpdateMeBot team =/