Michael Tsai on My Retraction of the Astrology/Astronomy App Store Rejection Story
Michael Tsai: I’m really unhappy about this, both for my role in spreading a false story and because I think it will hurt the cause of reforming App Review. I know there are many crazy rejections and have experienced some first-hand. This story was believable because of that well-known history and because Godier didn’t seem like a nobody trying to get attention — he was the developer of another…
In a recent account, tech writer Michael Tsai revealed that he had retracted an earlier story about an iOS app rejection. Tsai had initially reported that a Dark Hours app, created by developer Terry Godier, was rejected from the App Store due to its astrology content. However, upon further investigation, Tsai discovered that the app was actually dedicated to astrology, not astronomy, and contained a "Tarot card of the day" feature among other occult elements.
The controversy stemmed from Tsai's reliance on Godier's claims, which he now acknowledges were misled. Godier initially stated to Tsai and others that the rejection was unjustified, but Tsai's deeper examination showed the app's true nature. He regretted spreading a false story and expressed concern that such inaccuracies could tarnish the credibility of developer stories and the cause for reforming App Review.
Tsai also pointed out similarities between the rejected Dark Hours app and other apps, including ChatGPT wrappers and astronomy apps requesting irrelevant permissions. He lamented the prevalence of these questionable apps on the platform and questioned the App Store's quality control.
Amid the controversy, Tsai noted the existence of a flat Earth/astrology app on the App Store that leaked user locations. He advocated for stricter app rejection policies and lamented that many apps on the platform felt like mere wrappers around websites, lacking any meaningful user experience.
Written by urgent.news from Daring Fireball's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
