Apple rejected my dictation app for using the accessibility API
A developer shares their experience of having a dictation app rejected by Apple for improper use of accessibility APIs. The developer created the tool to manage hand pain, but Apple claims the app's functionality falls outside intended accessibility guidelines.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing tension between platform gatekeepers and independent developers regarding the definition and implementation of accessibility tools.
I built WhisperPad because I needed it. In the fall of 2024 the joints in my fingers started to hurt when I typed. Maybe the bill came due for spending most of my life on a keyboard: a childhood of video games, then 10 years working in tech. It got worse throughout the winter, and by early 2025, I could not type for sustained stretches without triggering an unsustainable level of pain. It was a progressive injury, so there was no single dramatic moment; just a slow narrowing of how much I could do in a day.
The article presents the developer's personal narrative while acknowledging Apple's stated policy reasoning.
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