The apps are fine, it’s content quality and quantity which can only happen organically. You can’t force an increase in quantity and keep quality high. Plus the fediverse is a fairly new concept with new issues that arise as it scales up. By it’s very nature the fediverse cannot react and change quickly so a slow growth allows for communities to try their own solutions and eventually settle on a more universal fix.
Yup, I say it in every thread of this sort I see pop up, you definitionally can’t force organic engagement.