This post has been updated.

When Twitter announced last week that it would no longer provide free access for its API as part of the platform's new monetization strategy, the backlash from developers, academics, and researchers was swift.

Twitter was slated to begin charging users on Thursday to access its API, or Application Programming Interface — the software that allows users to gather public data from the platform and program automated bots and applications — but has since modified its policy again.

The paywall would have affected popular accounts such as TweetDelete, a bot that deletes users' old tweets in bulk, weather and earthquake trackers that post real-time data, and Thread Reader, a bot that "unrolls" long Twitter threads. Academics, researchers, and scientists also use the API to study online behavior and gather data on hate speech and misinformation.

However, after pushback from developers, CEO Elon Musk backtracked on the idea. In a series of tweets, Musk first suggested access to the API would be available to all verified users. He then declared that there would be a free version available after all, though only for certain bots.

"Responding to feedback, Twitter will enable a light, write-only API for bots providing good content that is free," Musk tweeted on Feb. 4.

On Wednesday, Twitter revealed the final changes to some of its API policies. The current free access for the API will be available until February 13, and after that, a new free access level will be offered with a limitation of 1,500 tweets per month.

In a statement, Twitter declared that free access is "extremely important to our ecosystem."

Other changes to the API include a paid basic access level for $100 per month with less API usage but with an added feature that lets users access Twitter's ads API.