Reddit is going to force you to log in to use old Reddit

- **Old Reddit** (old.reddit.com) is a text-heavy, minimalist version of Reddit that predates the company's 2018 redesign. Many longtime users and power users prefer it because it loads faster, uses less data, and avoids the mobile-app-style interface of the current site. - Reddit has been gradually restricting access to old Reddit for unregistered users. This announcement confirms that soon you will need a Reddit account and be logged in to use it at all. - The change follows Reddit's broader push to monetize its platform — more logged-in users means more data for advertising targeting, more ability to enforce site-wide rules, and more opportunities to show logged-in features like notifications or premium subscriptions. - It also comes after Reddit's controversial 2023 API pricing changes, which killed most third-party apps (like Apollo and BaconReader) and led to widespread protests across the site. Critics see this log-in requirement as another step away from Reddit's original open, community-driven ethos and toward a more controlled, ad-driven platform.