Alby screwing up may have been good for me. I've been zapping using my external Phoenix app and it doesn't bother me as much as it used to.

Obviously, I prefer the UX to get better, but I kind of like the extra freedom, even if it is less convenient.

No invites, no other restrictions. Just #zaps.

Caveats:

Be okay with paying the network to zap if you decide to do this. I pay 2-4 sats every time I do a 21 sat zap, which is economically ridiculous for most people. Although, current fiat rails couldn't do this in a decentralized manner, so the fee is actually fair in my opinion. And 21 sats is very little value right now anyway. No one would send it in a normal transaction. I consider this a donation to the network, but that isn't going to suit everyone.

Basically, don't feel less than if this doesn't work for you. There's nothing wrong with using Alby if it's the best thing for you right now. And they did suggest a fix, so I'm not complaining about Alby. I just chose to use it as an opportunity to push myself rather than fix the issue. It worked out.