# Retrograde: Tracking Mercury — The daily Mercury almanac > Tracks Mercury's retrograde motion with a solar system orrery and personalized advice. (iPhone/iPad app by Dialect.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retrograde-tracking-mercury/id1436050691 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Dialect](https://appshunter.io/developer/1200631045) - Category: Reference, Lifestyle - Price: $4.99 - Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 5 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 4 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2019-06-30 - Data updated: 2026-09-04 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retrograde-tracking-mercury/id1436050691/reviews.md ## What is Retrograde? Retrograde carries its astronomical record with it. 633 Mercury retrograde cycles from 1900 through 2100, derived from NASA/JPL Horizons geocentric vectors all bundled inside the app. Status comes from that embedded event table. Current measurements and additional event estimates are calculated on your device. There is no server between the question and the answer. IS MERCURY IN RETROGRADE? For some, it's a simple yes or no question. For Retrograde, it's the shades in between that matter. Retrograde opens the record for today: current phase, apparent longitudinal velocity and acceleration, distance from Earth, solar elongation, illuminated fraction, and the next state change. An orrery shows Mercury's ecliptic position. A fixed-scale velocity plot makes the station crossings visible and marks today on the curve. TWO CENTURIES OF DATA ON YOUR DEVICE Select and share any date from 1900 through 2100. Full Instrument opens the complete cycle archive. Read a cycle's complete chronology: shadow boundaries, stations, peak retrograde speed, inferior conjunction, closest approach, and greatest elongations. Compare its duration with all 633 cycles. Add a selected window to Calendar. NINE NOTIFICATION EVENTS, INDIVIDUALLY CONTROLLED Full Instrument lets you choose any combination of nine Mercury events for notifications: pre-retrograde shadow begins, greatest eastern elongation, station retrograde, peak retrograde speed, inferior conjunction, closest approach to Earth, station direct, greatest western elongation, and post-retrograde shadow ends. Each selected occurrence fires once at its event time. Station and shadow alerts use timestamps from the bundled event table. Velocity and geometry alerts use clearly identified on-device estimates. Every alert explains what happened and identifies the next selected event. Events on the same day are combined into one useful update. A custom sound marks delivery. There are no daily reminders or recurring check-ins. PRIVATE BY DESIGN The answer, archive, calculations, widgets, alerts, and card generation are local. Retrograde has no account, backend, runtime astronomy feed, ads, analytics, tracking, or subscription. The core instrument works offline. TODAY STAYS FREE. FULL INSTRUMENT IS ONE PURCHASE. Today, the animated orrery, current measurements, any-date reports, sharing, and widgets are free. Full Instrument is one permanent purchase that unlocks the complete cycle archive, detailed cycle records, Calendar export, and all nine event alerts. Existing paid owners keep full access automatically. There is no subscription. ## Key features - Instant retrograde status - Living solar system orrery - Time scrubbing and replay - Retrograde window planner - Personalized premonition advice - Shareable daily insights - Customizable alerts - Home and Lock Screen widgets ## Recent user reviews (5 of 5) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retrograde-tracking-mercury/id1436050691/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Ohhh love this app *2026-07-14* They added a function where each day there is a piece of ancient wisdom and the new functionality is really good **Developer response:** We're so glad you're enjoying the ancient wisdom feature! It's wonderful to hear you find it a valuable addition. — retrograde ### 2/5 — No pre or post shadow *2021-01-28* It’s ok. Not anything great. It shows the Mercury retrograde dates & will send notifications but it doesn’t show pre or post shadow. It’s not worth the money. I am looking for an app that does it all...shows retrograde of all the major planets, shows pre & post shadow, strength of retrograde, as well as notifications. Thanks anyway. **Developer response:** Hi there! I know it's been years, but we've completely rebuilt it from the ground up, and your upgrade is free. Thanks for being one of our early users. If you like the new stability, features, and speed, please leave a new review! ### 4/5 — Love the app! *2020-03-12* Love this app! Hoping that they add a widget feature to eventually. **Developer response:** Widget coming and a complete design refresh! ### 2/5 — Notifications do not work *2020-02-19* This app would be perfect. The layout is perfect and I wouldn’t change anything about it except the notifications do NOT work. I have played with the settings and have all the notifications turned on on my phone but I do not receive any notifications from this app no matter what I do. Please fix this ASAP as this was my reason for downloading this app. Thank you. **Developer response:** Hi Friend! The notifications have been fixed! Thanks for reporting this in and please feel free to send any more suggestions or questions to hello@retrogradeapp.com ### 3/5 — Please Fix!! *2019-11-22* Please add option to track the “shadow days” when mercury is slowing down and speeding up (which is important to many who track Mercury) as well as days it SD! If so I will “promptly” switch to 5 stars!!! I only downloaded this app because of ur calendar option, believing it would have this information. Minus this feature being added there are two other free apps that tell you when mercury is in retro - making this app a waste of your money. I will check back often for those interested and update my post promptly for those still searching for this feature. Hopeful they will fix it as this app seems to have great potential but if not hopefully someone will see this and create one :) If app creators see this please, please add this feature as it would be sooooo appreciated!!! 🥰 I emailed and they were quick and friendly with response and said they would add features by the next rx period. I’m adding stars for this and if they really fix it by next rx ill add 5 stars. Right now its 11/2019 for reference. I really hope they add those features :) **Developer response:** Hi there! I know it's been years, but we've completely rebuilt it from the ground up, and your upgrade is free. Thanks for being one of our early users. If you like the new stability, features, and speed, please leave a new review! ## Frequently asked questions about Retrograde ### What is Retrograde's primary function? Retrograde's primary function is to tell you instantly if Mercury is retrograde. It also provides a beautiful, interactive map of the solar system to visualize Mercury's motion and offers personalized, witty advice. ### How accurate is Retrograde's data? The app uses Kepler's equations for its solar system calculations, which are derived from NASA/JPL data. This ensures accurate tracking of Mercury's apparent motion and retrograde periods. ### Can I use Retrograde to plan important events? Yes, Retrograde includes a planner that shows every retrograde window from 1900 to 2100. This allows you to check dates for weddings, launches, birthdays, or any other significant event. ### Does Retrograde collect my personal data? No, Retrograde is designed for privacy. There are no servers to trust, no account creation, no tracking, no analytics, and no network requests. All data and computations happen on your device. ### How often is Retrograde updated? The app was last updated on July 14, 2026, indicating ongoing development and support. The developer, Dialect Agency Inc., has released version 3.1. ### What devices is Retrograde available on? Retrograde is available for devices with an age rating of 4+. The provided data does not specify exact platform compatibility (e.g., iOS, Android) but implies mobile device usage. ### What is the cost of Retrograde? Retrograde is a paid application, priced at $4.99. It is a one-time purchase, allowing you to use it for an extended period, as indicated by the two centuries of data included. ### Does Retrograde offer any free features or trials? Based on the provided data, Retrograde is a paid app with a single purchase price of $4.99. There is no mention of a free version, free trial, or in-app purchases. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.3 — 2026-08-29 Retrograde 3.3 keeps a record of what it tells you. ALERT JOURNAL. Every delivered alert is now kept on your device for 12 months. Open any entry for the full message, its exact or estimated timestamp, and a link into the retrograde cycle it belongs to. Tapping a notification lands on that entry directly. ADVANCE NOTICE. An optional heads-up 1 day, 3 days, or 1 week before shadow entry and the two stations, for the events you already follow. Advance alerts use the same JPL-derived table timestamps as the day-of alerts. A CLEARER VOICE. Alerts now narrate what happens in the sky in plain language, and give the traditional names, like cazimi, alongside the astronomy. Every message still carries the concrete date, time, and calculation source. EASIER TO READ. Brighter accent text and a firmer text hierarchy across the app, larger touch targets in the calendar, and improved Dynamic Type support. The midnight spectrum stays exactly as it was. ### 3.2 — 2026-08-11 Version 3.2 rebuilds Retrograde around the astronomical record it carries inside. The embedded event table contains 633 Mercury retrograde cycles from 1900 through 2100, derived from NASA/JPL Horizons geocentric vectors. Status reads from that archive. Current measurements and additional event estimates are calculated on device. There is no app backend or runtime astronomy feed. Today now answers YES or NO first. The redesigned view opens the evidence: current phase, apparent motion, acceleration, Earth distance, solar elongation, illumination, next state change, a fixed-scale velocity plot, and an orrery for ecliptic position. Cycles now opens the complete archive with date lookup, event chronologies, historical duration rankings, Calendar export, and selectable one-time alerts. Sharing now turns any day, cycle, station, or geometry event into a dated, sourced record. The old quote cards and recurring Mercury check-ins have been retired. Version 3.2 also introduces redesigned widgets, the Mercury mark, the multicolor app icon, and a midnight spectrum visual system. Retrograde is now free to download. Full Instrument is a one-time purchase that unlocks the complete cycle archive, detailed cycle records, Calendar export, and all event alerts. Existing paid owners keep full access. There is no subscription. ### 3.1 — 2026-07-14 Smooshed bugs, improved the share sheet and notification sounds. Speed speed speed. ### 3.0 — 2026-07-14 Retrograde 3.0 is a complete rethink. - A living sky: watch Mercury's apparent motion actually reverse in an animated map of the solar system, computed on your device. Tap to replay, drag to time-travel, feel the haptic at the exact turnaround. - Premonitions: witty, useful advice at uncannily well-timed moments. You pick how often (one or two a day) and your waking hours. - Share the day's line as a story-sized image with one tap. - New Planner: every retrograde from 1900 to 2100, a glowing intensity calendar, and a check-any-date tool. - New look: brass, copper, and slate on a deep night sky. New icon too. - New widgets, including a daily-advice widget and Lock Screen gauges. - Alerts apply instantly — no more save button — with new lead-up and all-clear alerts. - Still no account, no server, no tracking. Everything on your phone. ### 2.02 — 2020-04-22 General App Maintenance ## More apps by Dialect - [People by Super Simple](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/people-by-super-simple/id6790219748) - [Parasocial: A Podcast Player](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/parasocial-a-podcast-player/id6792017587) All apps by Dialect: https://appshunter.io/developer/1200631045 ## Related topics [mercuryone](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/mercuryone) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-04.*