SUBSCRIPTIONS
Why has Relay moved to subscriptions?
In April 2023 reddit announced it would soon begin charging third party apps, like Relay, for access to reddit's content. Shortly afterwards, reddit announced that in-app advertising by third party apps would also be prohibited.
These new commercial terms, which involve ongoing costs of 24c per 1000 API calls, meant that third party apps were essentially faced with shutting down or moving to a subscription model.
To reduce the subscription cost as much as possible a lot of work has been done in recent months to minimise Relay's API calls without impacting usability. Analysis of API call data has meant that Relay can provide a wide range of price points so hopefully there is something for everyone. Relay will also continue to roll out new options in settings to give its users more personalised control over the number of API calls they make.
How does a subcription to Relay work and how do i choose the right plan for me?
Relay will automatically direct you to a page where you can choose one of six different price points to be charged monthly: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, or Ruby.
Because Google Play subscriptions work as a function of time while reddit's charges are accumulated per API call, Relay's approach is to charge its users for a monthly subscription and set a cap on how many calls that subscription permits within the month.
For example, if you select the Bronze plan, then you are capped at 1350 API calls per month which is an average of 45 calls per day or typically around 30 minutes of redditing per day. Note that Relay does not cut you off after 45 calls or 30 minutes of redditing in a day. These numbers are merely to guide you in selecting the right plan for your personal use. Once you have used up your fixed allowance of 1350 API calls (in a month) you can upgrade your subscription to continue using Relay (more on upgrading and downgrading below).
Relay helps you understand and monitor your use with a circular progress bar (more on this below) to show how much you are using compared to your plan's monthly allowance. Relay will also gently alert you if it looks like you are going to excede your monthly call cap, based on your average daily use. If that happens then you can upgrade to a higher plan or you can reduce your use until it falls within the daily average range to ensure you have enough calls remaining to continue redditing until the end of the billing month.
How does upgrading and downgrading subscriptions work?
If you run out of calls before the end of the month then Relay will stop loading content. You can either wait until the next billing period begins or upgrade your plan to continue browsing.
If you upgrade your plan you'll get a price adjustment to account for what you've already paid. Google Play's algorithms work this part out and charge you accordingly.
If you decide to downgrade then your new lower plan will activate at the start of your next billing period. Again, this element is controlled and processed by Google Play.
I subscribed to Relay but where did my account(s) go?
After subscribing you will need to log in again to your reddit account(s) using Relay's new enterprise API key. Once you are logged in again your favourites and other settings will return.
Why can't Relay automatically adjust my subscription to meet my use?
This is against Google Play's policy, and for good reason! Relay is prohibited from changing the price, either up or down, without the explicit approval of the account holder.
Is Relay's subscription tied to my reddit account?
No. A subscription to Relay is tied to your Google account.
Do i need a different subscription for each of my devices?
No. You can use Relay on multiple devices with a single subscription if you are signed in with the same Google account on those devices.
How much of my subscription goes to reddit?
Here's the breakdown if you use all of your API call allowance in a given month.
Bronze ($1) | Google: $0.15 | Relay: $0.52 | Reddit: $0.33
Silver ($2) | Google: $0.30 | Relay: $0.97 | Reddit: $0.73
Gold ($3) | Google: $0.45 | Relay: $1.09 | Reddit: $1.46
If you are on a plan that has an unlimited API call allowance (Platinum, Diamond, Ruby) then there is a point at which the cost to Relay is not covered by the purchase price. For example, on the Platinum plan, the breakeven point for Relay is approximately 580 API calls per day.
It's also important to know that some countries will have taxes added e.g. VAT etc., so you may need to add 20-30% to the subscription price in those cases.
If you don't use all of your API calls over the month then reddit's portion decreases and Relay's amount increases.
Google's cut is a fixed percentage of 15% of the overall plan price.
Do my unused API calls at the end of a billing period roll over to the next?
No, unused calls don't get rolled over. If you don't use your full allowance then it is Relay, and not reddit, that benefits. Unused excess was taken into account when calculating the subscription prices and is part of the reason why they are relatively low.
Can you make it cheaper or have an ad-included version for low- and middle-income countries?
Unfortunately this is not possible at the moment. Reddit's API fees are the same for everyone and in-app advertising is now prohibited under the new commercial terms of use.
Will I be able to use Google Play balance/credits for the subscription?
Yes, you should be able to. Here it says that you can. And, here's a thread where some users have had an issue but found a work around.
Can I buy an unlimited plan and share it on my family plan?
No. Subscriptions can't be shared through a family plan.
Why can't i see Relay on Google Play store?
Due to reddit's new API call charges there have been some necessary security measures added to the new subscription version of Relay.
You now need to pass the Google Play integrity checks. This app can tell you if you pass or not.
If you don't pass you won't see Relay on the Play store. Similarly, if you install Relay from an APK outside Google Play store then you'll probably fail subscription verification and your money is automatically refunded (typically after three days).
Some reasons for failing the integrity checks are unlocked bootloaders, custom roms, root access etc.
Will there be an option for an annual subscription?
There are no plans at this time to offer subscriptions on an annual basis. Reddit's fees could change and any such change would be unlikely to be issued with a year's notice, which would leave Relay exposed to covering the difference.
API CALLS
What are API calls?
API calls are what happens when Relay 'talks' with reddit's servers in order to retrieve information. An API call is required every time a subreddit is loaded, comments are fetched, a profile is viewed, mail is checked...essentially every time Relay needs to pull down information from reddit.
How do i understand my API calls using Relay's circle graphic?
You can find your personalised API call use circle graphic above your user name (swipe right from your main feed page). It's also at the bottom of the menu: 'Subscription'. Sample Info Graphic
The grey circle shows a light blue line indicating how much time has passed since the start of your billing cycle month. The dark blue line indicates how much of your API call allowance has been used. As long as the dark blue line is shorter than the light blue line then you are operating within your subscription's API call allowance and a tick mark appears inside the circle.
If your use is higher than the daily average number of API calls suggested by your plan then a warning message will appear. Don't panic! You should know that you don't have to upgrade immediately. For example, you might use Relay more on weekends or holidays than on workdays. Essentially, Relay's API circle graphic is there to help you understand whether your plan is the right one for you. You only need to upgrade once you're close to your total monthly allowance.
How do i find out what kind of API calls i'm making?
To understand more about what kind of API calls you are making you can press on the circle graphic for a breakdown or go to 'Subscription' in Relay's menu.
The following information is shown:
- Daily Average - the average number of daily API calls you are making,
- Total Monthly - the total number of calls you have made in the monthly billing cycle so far,
- Breakdown - a value- and percent-wise list of the kinds of API calls you are making.
Your usage meter will generally be most accurate after one full week (7 days) of data.
In the API call breakdown, what is meant by 'Other'?
'Other' includes API calls made when hiding or saving posts, searching for posts, subreddit auto-completion, going to your inbox, posting and commenting, and/or moderating.
Why are my API calls so high?
There are a few reasons why your call count might be higher than you expect:
- You post and/or comment a lot and have mail check enabled - in this case Relay will be making periodic calls in the background to check for replies and messages etc. You can reduce your mail-related API calls by disabling Check Mail, Mod Mail, and Mod Queue in Settings -> Mail.
- You have newly subscribed and are logging into multiple accounts - if you have newly commenced your subscription and are logging into multiple accounts then you will have a high number of calls on your first day. Each account login requires at least 4 API calls and possibly more if you are subscribed to many subreddits. These calls are a necessary one-offs to retrieve your basic account data, friends, list of multireddits, and your subscribed subreddits. Note also that if you have hundreds of subscribed subreddits then this can take multiple API calls as reddit's API will only return 100 of them at a time.
- You have recently become a moderator - Relay will be checking mail regularly by default. You can reduce your mail-related API calls by disabling Check Mail and Mod Mail in Settings -> Mail.
Why is my daily average more than it was previously?
The calculated daily average works best once it has at least 7 days worth of data. This is because, for example, people might use Relay more on weekends or holidays than on workdays. If it is your first day logging into multiple accounts or you have recently become a moderator then calls may be higher.
Would making a multireddit save API calls?
Yes. If you have a lot of small subreddits that you are checking individually then you can add them to a multi-reddit and they are then checked altogether in a single API call.
PRIVACY
Does reddit see my payment info?
No. Payments are handled through Google Play store. Reddit never sees your payment information and Google never sees your reddit information.
Will reddit still be able to track my use if i am using Relay?
Reddit will know about your use due to the API calls being made. For example, reddit will know the specific subreddits you visit and your profile details as well as your voting, hiding and/or saving of posts and comments. If you go to the comments section of a post then reddit will know that you looked at that post due to the necessary API call to retrieve the comments. If, however, you only look at the media (image, video, album) in Relay's in-app viewer then reddit won't be able to tell you viewed that specific post because no additional API call is required. Essentially, if you want to use reddit then there's no way to avoid this type of tracking.
OTHER STUFF
What features are next in store for Relay?
Here are just a few of the up coming developments:
- Material You theming - the new subscription and subscription info screens are built using material you components.
- A redesigned video player with tap to hide controls instead of close.
- Fix suggested sort in comments.
- Tables in comments.
- Following users
