Ah just checked, maybe it's because the mods haven't checked in with the community in a while and it's a joke about being abandoned. From what I remember, even on Reddit the dev would disappear for some time and then come back with a big update?
If they ARE gone, there are a lot of Lemmy apps available that are receiving regular updates. Boost, Connect, and Eternity might be a similar feeling to Sync
Just about the same thing IMO. This app has ads you need to pay to remove, essentially making it a paid app. The dev(s) should not disappear for months at a time and not expect to be called out for the cash grab.
I used sync since it's inception on Reddit and it's still my favourite, I've tried 5 different apps for Lemmy but Sync is still my preference. I haven't paid to block ads but I don't get ads anyway so I just get a panel of empty space in it's place.
The app is missing a few QoL features however. It's basically a carbon copy of how it was for Reddit this time last year with all the Lemmy unique functions being on the backend. I also don't expect the dev to return purely because their revenue from the app must be 1000 times smaller than it was from Reddit and they're probably having to adjust to a very different financial lifestyle. However, despite the monetisation, I do respect the Dev as when they're active, basically every rational request gets implemented, and you really get the sense that they enjoithe problem solving of making our ideas work.
They're obviously not ok with this, which is why their community is posting the sinks memes. The app currently has a bunch of issues reading thru the posts in their community, so it's fair that they're up in arms about this.