I wonder how widespread the damage to the app's reputation is after this. I've had multiple conversations with people about this today and everyone is moving to alternatives.
As you said, I don't think knowing that Applause (applause.dev) is the acquiring company helps much considering they have no track record of anything as far as I can see, but having a full day of radio silence must have done some considerable damage.
Yeah, we weren't thinking that Bartender had been stolen somehow, which is what this post is mostly addressing. Rather it's a question of whether we can trust the people who've legitimately bought it, particularly given a history of app acquisitions taking things down a shady road.
Surtees had a bunch of accumulated trust from having been maintaining Bartender for over a decade and not having done anything abusive with it in that time. A new developer is starting from scratch there, and the first impression being that they're trying to avoid people knowing about them doesn't make us jump to trusting them. (That's why people are being more inclined to trust random apps from unknowns like Hidden Bar or Ice...)
As you said, I don't think knowing that Applause (applause.dev) is the acquiring company helps much considering they have no track record of anything as far as I can see, but having a full day of radio silence must have done some considerable damage.