New York Post quietly removes Safari paywall for iPad users

Last year, the New York Post introduced a peculiar paywall structure that effectively blocked iPad users from accessing its site via Safari. Under the scheme, users navigating to the site within Safari were forced to either download the paper’s paid iPad app (along with a monthly subscription), or access the site through a non-Safari browser. Now, however, it appears that the Post has changed its tune.

As NY Convergence recently noticed, the Post website is now available in its entirety, via Safari. Visiting the site on an iPad prompts a small notification that invites users to download the app, but this can be easily dismissed by pressing “cancel.” There doesn’t appear to be a New York Times-like article quota, either; Forbes’ Jeff Bercovici successfully loaded more than 25 articles without running into a barrier.

The Post has yet to comment on this change, so it’s difficult to say what may have motivated it. Its iPad app, moreover, has been performing rather well, and now sits as the fourth-highest grossing news app in the iTunes Store. As Bercovici speculates, the paper may simply be looking to capitalize on the iPad’s surging market share to help bolster its browser-based traffic.