August 8, 2026
Mercury in Retrograde Energy
Retraction: The App Store Rejection of the Week That Was a Correct Rejection
Blog drama explodes as writer admits Apple was right and commenters cheer the rare honest apology
TLDR: A writer publicly retracted his attack on Apple after learning the rejected app really had astrology features, meaning the rejection was justified. Commenters were stunned but impressed by the blunt apology, while others turned the mess into a bigger warning about trust, missing facts, and creator credibility.
This story has everything: a beloved writer, a rising app maker, a messy reversal, and a comment section acting like the internet just spotted a unicorn — an actual full apology. After first blasting Apple over what looked like a ridiculous app rejection, the author came back with a complete retraction and a painful admission: the app in question was originally an astrology app, not the innocent astronomy guide readers were led to believe. In plain English, Apple didn’t reject a star-charting science app for being mystical nonsense — it rejected an app that really did include things like a “Tarot card of the day.” Oof.
And the community reaction? Surprisingly fierce, but not in Apple-vs-developer tribal-war style. The loudest response was basically: this is how you take your medicine. Commenters praised the writer for “ponying up” and owning the mistake instead of posting one of those slippery non-apologies the internet has learned to dread. Others turned the whole mess into a cautionary tale about believing one dramatic side of a story, especially when the other side — here, Apple — isn’t publicly talking.
But there was also a sharper edge. Some readers said the deeper scandal wasn’t just the bad claim, but what it revealed about the developer’s credibility, with one commenter flatly saying the article’s plagiarism section showed “significant character issues.” The vibe was part respect, part betrayal, part popcorn.gif — with a side of cosmic irony: the real retrograde was the fact-checking.
Key Points
- •Daring Fireball fully retracted its earlier article about the App Store rejection of Dark Hours, saying the original premise was fundamentally wrong.
- •The author says he was misled by Terry Godier’s public post and private messages, but accepts responsibility for publishing the inaccurate story.
- •Godier’s post was later revised to say the app began as an astrology app and that App Store Review had apparently not received the updated build with astrology content removed.
- •The retraction states that the originally submitted app was called Asterly and was dedicated to astrology, including a “Tarot card of the day” feature.
- •Based on those facts, the author says Apple’s original rejection and the App Review Board’s upholding of the rejection were correct.