I don't like the ape sound in April either; I don't think of it as a possible NN, though, even if people are teasing. I think it's probably because April's a word with strong associations already.
??I honestly would never ever have even considered calling an April "Ape". I practically spit my morning coffee out reading that. April's already pretty short and I'm not one to automatically think every name needs to be shortened. This would not cross my mind. Is it just me?
Me neither. Not every name needs a nickname. I also wouldn't call a Madison "Mad". Then again I would never have used "Di" for Diana because it sounds like "die" but apparently many people don't have a problem with it (which surprises me).