It's (Sort of) Been Fixed. But Here's an In-Depth Update.
Ever since TD Ameritrade merged with Schwab and disabled their API, we've been scrambling to find an alternative options data provider that works seamlessly with our platform. Over the past couple of weeks, we switched to using data from TradeStation. However, their API works through streaming, which isn't ideal for us – hence the issues you’ve all been experiencing.
Before using TradeStation's API, we tried the new API from the TD Ameritrade/Schwab merger. Unfortunately, their authorization token expires every seven days, requiring frequent re-authentication every 30 minutes. I won’t delve into the boring mechanics of it, but we want to be transparent with our users about why you're facing issues submitting options trades or using the Options filter on the Trades feed or Dashboards.
We've been in discussions with them since before the merger to secure access to their commercial API, which we hope will offer a similar experience to what we previously had with TD Ameritrade's API. Despite their slow responses and occasional runaround, recent communications suggest we're getting close to receiving the commercial API access we've been seeking.
After experiencing issues with TradeStation over the past two weeks, we've decided to roll back the changes and revert to using Schwab's individual API. While this option has significantly fewer issues and downtime, it does require more hands-on management – which we're prepared to handle if necessary.
You shouldn't experience any further problems submitting options trades or loading them on the trades or dashboard feeds. However, we want to make you aware that some minor instability may persist, which we'll monitor closely and work around as needed.
Once Schwab approves our commercial API access, we hope this will resolve any remaining issues. Alternatively, if we can work directly with TradeStation to obtain a non-streaming API endpoint for options, this would also address the current problems.
So, in conclusion, the issues with options trades and data have (sort of) been resolved. Users shouldn't experience prolonged downtime related to options trades or data. However, this is still a work in progress and not a long-term solution yet. We'll keep you all updated.
FAQs
Is options trades/date fixed?
Nearly. You shouldn't be experiencing any further issues or downtime regarding options trades & data, from submitting to viewing them on Trades & Dashboard feeds.
Where or how can I report any issues?
Please do! You can reach out to our support team directly in our Discord community. You can also send an email to [email protected] but Discord support is much quicker.
What was wrong with it?
In short, our options data provider underwent a merger with another company, which shut down our access to the data. We then had to work with the new company's data, which isn't nearly as good as it previously was – quite typical with acquisitions and mergers, right?
Over the past two weeks, we tried using a separate data provider altogether, but it didn’t work out as we predicted due to the way data fetching or accessing is done. So now, we're back to using data from the second provider, with whom our original (previously awesome too) provider merged.
How can I help?
We're glad you asked! Our app is 100% free to use and access. We will never implement a paywall that requires our users to pay to interact with our app. However, we do offer an optional PRO Membership that provides extra perks, such as:
- Using media/images in trade notes
- No limit on the number of trades you can submit within a 5-minute period (currently limited to 5 for free users)
- Markdown usage in dashboard bios
- And more
To upgrade to PRO, simply go to the Membership section in Account Settings.
If you haven't yet already installed the mobile app, you can find it on App Store and Google Play.
