May 20, 2026
Ink-redible review drama
Why is Inkwell stuck in review
Apple’s name police strike again as commenters argue: just rename it or fight back
TLDR: Inkwell has been stuck in Apple’s approval process for weeks because Apple objects to the app’s name, tied to an old Apple trademark. Commenters are split between “just rename it” and “this proves Apple has too much control,” with plenty of snark about inconsistent reviewers.
An indie app maker says his iPhone app Inkwell has been trapped in Apple’s review maze since April 21, bouncing through rejections, rewrites, a phone call, and even an appeal. The reason? Apple says the name clashes with Inkwell, a long-ago Apple brand for handwriting software that many people — including, hilariously, the Apple staffer he spoke to — seem to have forgotten ever existed. That tiny detail sent the comments straight into popcorn mode.
The loudest camp is basically yelling, “Come on, just change the name.” One commenter said the real story was buried: Apple has used the name before, so approval was never likely. Another chimed in with a weary been-there-done-that tale about getting smacked for using the word Finder and simply moving on. But the other side is much spicier: people are fuming that Apple can act like judge, jury, and bouncer for app names, even when the trademark looks ancient and listed as dead by the U.S. trademark office. One legal-minded commenter jumped in to argue over whether trademarks need defending at all, turning the thread into a mini law school cage match.
And yes, the jokes landed too. The sharpest burn came from a commenter who quoted Steve Jobs and then declared, “Today, Apple is the orifice.” Ouch. Another blamed the whole mess on the roulette wheel of app reviewers: not the great ones, not the awful ones, but the mediocre ones who cause maximum chaos. The vibe is clear: this isn’t just about one app name — it’s about whether Apple’s app store is a gatekeeper, a bureaucracy, or both.
Key Points
- •Manton Reece says he submitted Inkwell for iOS to Apple on April 21, 2026, and the app has faced repeated review delays, rejections, revisions, and an appeal.
- •The main dispute described in the article concerns the app name “Inkwell.”
- •Reece says Apple previously used “Inkwell” for a handwriting-recognition feature in Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar and trademarked the name in 2002.
- •The article states that Apple’s Inkwell trademark is listed as “dead” by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office but still appears on Apple’s trademark page.
- •Reece argues that Apple’s control over iOS app distribution gives it the power to block an app name even when the trademark has allegedly been unused for decades.