Retraction: The App Store Rejection of the Week That Was a Correct Rejection
- ID
- 12390
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 09 Aug 2026, 11:26 AM
- Fetched
- 11 Aug 2026, 7:54 AM
- Provider
- Hacker News
- Category
- dev-community
- Original URL
- https://daringfireball.net/2026/08/retraction_app_store_rejection_of_the_week
- Source URL
- https://hnrss.org/best
Summary
- Score
- 3.5
- Created
- 11 Aug 2026, 7:57 AM
- Tags
- Audience
- developerssaas-founders
What happened
John Gruber retracted a Daring Fireball post claiming Apple wrongly rejected Terry Godier's astronomy app 'Dark Hours' as astrology. Godier later corrected his own post to reveal the app had originally been an astrology app, and App Store review said they had never received the updated build with astrology content removed — the rejection was not wrongful.
Why it matters
If you ship to the App Store, this is a reminder that rejection narratives circulating online can omit critical context — in this case, the developer never submitted the updated build. Before amplifying an App Store rejection story, verify which build was actually reviewed and whether the developer has communicated the full history to Apple review.
Discussion angle
How to fact-check App Store rejection stories before signal-boosting them, and what procedural steps (submitting updated builds, communicating with review) prevent avoidable rejections.