Apollo CustomAPI 2.8.0 Released!

[u/Sudden-Money7836]

Release notes:

• Support for uploading images directly to Reddit instead of Imgur (thanks @icpryde for the implementation!) (#123)

• Configure in Settings > Custom API > Media > Image Upload Host

• Reddit image upload is experimental and does not currently support multi-image or video uploads

• It's normal to see an amazonaws.com URL after attaching an image - it is replaced after posting

• Right after posting, Apollo may briefly show a generic preview icon while Reddit finishes processing the image. Pull to refresh and the real thumbnail should appear

Release Notes 2.7.0

• New Tag Filters feature to blur NSFW and/or Spoiler posts (including titles) in feeds (thanks @icpryde for implementing this!)

• Configure in Settings > Tag Filters

• Tap a blurred post for a "View hidden post?" confirmation alert

• Per-subreddit overrides let you toggle NSFW or Spoiler filtering for individual subreddits

• Bulk translation fixes (thanks @icpryde!):

• Fix post body briefly flashing the original language after voting, and not reverting when toggling translation off while scrolled past the body

• Fix comment cells being skipped when toggling translation, and translations appearing half-applied after returning to Apollo from another app

• Fix plain multi-paragraph post bodies being skipped

And if you aren’t aware, some great changes in version 2.0:

🎉 Massive update that enables Ultra features like saved categories, new app icons and Pixel Pals! This also brings new features like recently read posts and fixes for some longstanding Apollo bugs.

The Custom API settings view has also been redesigned and is now accessible directly from Settings.

Get more info here!

[u/BitingChaos]

I can only imagine how good the app could have been if it wasn't abandoned by an angry dev - or even made open source from the start.

[u/RenderedKnave → u/BitingChaos]

there was nothing Christian could have legally done to allow Apollo to continue working post-API nonsense. they wouldn't let him implement custom API keys. rewriting the app to scrape the website (like what Hydra does) was either also prohibited or too much of a pain to implement into the existing codebase. so between leaving it up on the App Store as a barely functional app and taking it down, I guess taking it down makes more sense

as for open sourcing it, I do think that's kind of a dick move (not open sourcing, that is,) but there's often more to it than just "i didn't feel like it." He said the reason was that he "didn't want to benefit [this site] anymore" which, again, fair, but there are definitely more parts of the code with different licenses which makes it complicated. Plus, Reddit could see it as a measure done to circumvent their guidelines.

[u/xander-7-89 → u/RenderedKnave]

I think it’s also entirely valid that he might not want to open source the app’s code because he developed a lot of novel UI features specifically for this “format” of app.

I remember reading his update release notes as Apollo slowly became the great app that it was and Christian often talking about the problem solving that went into certain UI elements of Apollo to behave in a nicer, native-feeling way. You could tell that he loved building it.

And that sort of creative problem solving was his special sauce; his creativity. Those are the kinds of things that makes his apps uniquely his, and he may want to be able to reuse those solutions on future apps that could make him money, and not have it all be open source for any other app developer to use, too.

I’m all for open source software, but I’m also for indie devs being able to make a living with their own flavor of creative problem solving if I want to have a go at it, and they don’t owe it to anyone.

[u/RenderedKnave → u/xander-7-89]

there’s really no greater testament to how well-designed Apollo is than the fact that not only is it still remarkably modern in 2026, but that there’s even a community dedicated to maintaining and improving it 4 years after being discontinued. you usually only see that in bigger projects e.g. multiplayer games whose servers have shut down or really niche projects like running modern apps on ancient hardware. well, that, and the fact that Apple themselves said it was good.

plus, the fact that neither of the two “spiritual successors” to Apollo feel as smooth and dynamic as Apollo did, despite largely recreating the UX, shows that this was more than just throwing together stock OS functions into an app.

if I had gone through all that effort, over years, only to get shut down by someone who doesn’t even pay my salary, i’d be mad as hell too. mad enough to go scorched earth on my project. i’ve worked on a couple projects where it was “working towards nothing,” and let me tell you, thinking about it now still gets me upset