I'm reading many people complaining about the app being abandoned, not being updated for a long time.
Have you tried contacting the developer with your issues?
They last replied to a review on Google Play on 13th Jan 2025. Someone else also mentioned that they received a response via DM. So the developer is definitely still alive.
The app is free to use. It's great if you chose to support the developer by paying for the ad-removal or subscription. Unfortunately, I don't believe the user base is large enough to allow the developer to work on it full-time, or even part time.
Personally, I think Sync is a passion project, hence the original Reddit version was so good. The downside with passion projects is that you work on them when you have time and inspiration to work on them.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that all the negativity won't help inspire the developer to dedicate more time to the project.
It would be more helpful to compile a list of bugs and issues, and forward them to the developer.
You can cope all you want. It doesn't change the nature or the fact Sync is broken and has stopped working in major areas where it impedes function. It would've been fine if it was cheap like the old sync reddit app.
But, we weren't the ones asking for high ad-free purchase, or Sync Ultra price.
This is really the core issue right here. Long periods of inactivity from ljdawson was more acceptable on Reddit as the backend software didn't change much so the app at least kept working. It's been over a year since the last update here and Sync for Lemmy still has some serious problems.
It's a shame because I love the app, but I've felt forced to move on.
What app did you move on to?
I'm using Summit. It also has a few niggles and missing features but I believe it will get there in the future. I've tried almost all the available apps and Summit felt the best for me overall.
And at least the dev is active and responsive. Well, he has been at least. He's been gone for a few weeks with IRL interference but he's said it is temporary.
Yeah, Summit is what I'm using too. I prefer the Sync UX, but between missing and broken features, using a working alternative is a no-brainer.
Connect has a similar UX, just throwing it out there :) (and just mentioning it since Sync seems to no longer maintained).
Just gave it a whirl, it feels very unpolished. So many options wouldn't apply until I restarted the app. I couldn't find the option to set New as default. The drawer is too short and using only bottom navigation is clearly an afterthought. Also the font selection is terrible and actually hurts my eyes.
Dude, that's the dev...
Surely that's all the more reason to report the usability issues? The better the app selection quality the better.
All good, I appreciate the candid feedback. Cheers!
And you should try out other apps. I heard the name Summit being mentioned by many users on this sub. You can always come back to Sync if/when it gets the necessary updates.
But no one forces you to pay. You chose to do that to support the developer, but it does not mean they owe you.
Fediverse.org reports that Lemmy currently has 484,850.
Backlinko.com reports that Reddit has 97.2 million daily active users in June 2025.
Let's round those figures up to 500k and 100mil.
Say 5% of Reddit users paid $1 to the developer > 5mil users = $5mil
If my maths is correct, for 5% of Lemmy to donate 5mil to the developer, so they can invest the same time & effort as they did on the Reddit app, each paying Lemmy user would have to pay $5mil / (500k*.0.05) = $200 each.
It would be unreasonable for the developer to expect people to pay $200 to use the Lemmy app. It's equally unreasonable for us users to expect them to put in the same effort, without the same return of investment. I imagine the developer will invest in more time when the Lemmy user base hit some kind of critical mass.
What? When you charge a subscription, you're not saying this is for the work done. You're selling the idea that by paying for a subscription users are supporting the work remaining ongoing. Users who paid yearly, got less than half of what they paid for. So sorry, as much as I like LJ, it absolutely does mean they owe you. At the very least they owe you an explanation.