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Android’s most beloved launcher may be done for good
(www.androidpolice.com)
i use oxshell
I've been using kvaesitso. I like it!
Yeah, it's open sauce, has shortcuts, widgets, & works fine.
I also really like the tagging feature.
I just use the Fairphone 2 Launcher and it's fine 🤷🏻
I used Nova on my last phone and it worked great, I paid for pro. So I know what I'm missing, not worth it to get back in the Google Play Store system though. I like being anon with no Google account, especially considering Nova sold to a company that data mines user data?
These companies lack any sort of common sense. Nova is used (and suggested) by Android users that are at least minimally tech-savvy. What on earth would make them believe that news like this one would remain secret, and therefore allow them to keep the userbase to suck on their data?
Am I the only person that uses KISS launcher on this site? Once I got used to how it functions switching to something different will be hard.
if it's nova launcher I'm gonna be pissed.
edit: it's nova launcher. fucking fuck.
Seriously, one of the few apps I've ever paid for - and this is what I get?!
I'm sorry, brother. My condolences. I actually get my launcher from Fdroid and so I'll probably also be fucked.
I hate being hinted and asked to click on the link, so I save you a click:
It’s the end of an era: the founder and original developer of Nova Launcher — Kevin Barry — has stepped away from the development of the iconic custom launcher. This essentially marks the end of the road for the launcher, as it is unlikely to receive updates or new features. For years now, Nova Launcher has been the go-to launcher for power Android users, standing out for its plethora of customization options and features.
Now that Nova is in literal limbo, if not allegedly in the hands of some data miner, there should be talk about substitutes.
- This app may share these data types with third parties
- This app may collect these data types
I hate clickbait too. Just downvote posts like this
if not allegedly in the hands of some data miner,
it's android. what do you expect? It's one giant data miner.
I hate being hinted and asked to click on the link, so I save you a click:
Are you using a different client? Without teaser texts? The Lemmy website mentions Nova in the teaser.
I'm on the PC and using Firefox, viewing Lemmy directly rather than on mobile.
Android’s most beloved launcher may be done for good
I see only this.
Seems like lemmy.world has the opengraph/teaser stuff disabled? When I open the post on lemmyworld, without an account, it doesn't have a teaser at all.
If you open this comment source link it may very well show.
The interoperability of ActivityPub is nice, but all these differences make it confusing and cumbersome too.
That talk about substitutes happened when it was initially handed over to said data miner, and anybody concerned should have switched back then. I did, moving to Lawnchair, and never looked back. Oodles of other options are doubtlessly available.
Lawnchair was too bare bones for me. However, I was able to recreate 90%+ of my Nova setup with Neo.
Hasn't had a release since 2023 🫤
Their other projects are in active development, so I wouldn't consider it to be abandoned.
I haven't had any issues besides the desktop being occasionally unresponsive. Same thing used to happen to me in Nova.
It's FOSS and suits my needs. But I can see why others may want to stay away from it.
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For those coming looking for alternatives, this mega comparison chart is what I used to select an alternative launcher when I switched.
I would strongly recommend checking this site for the trackers in an app if you're at all concerned about privacy. Links to each app's exodus privacy report is also at the end of the table linked above.
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I'm very thankful to Kevin for this amazing launcher that I'm still using to this day.
Also a bit disapointed he trusted Branch and gave them the opportunity to ruin it.
Man probably needed to eat. What a system we've got.
I asked many years ago to add an option to send donations. They said it wasn't needed. I wonder if additional revenue may have helped.
Niagara is my favorite by far, i have been paying for pro for years
Man, I've been using it for a long time. I was going to buy the forever sub a while ago and never did. When did it jump to $42. I could've sworn it was like 20.
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God DAMMIT.
I don't know why, but this is some proverbial straw for me today. Motherfuck.
Same. I loudly exclaimed "FUUUUUUCK" as I read the article, much to the confusion of my partner.
In a Reddit AMA, the then-Branch CEO Alex Austin also revealed that if Kevin ever left Branch, they would open-source Nova Launcher's code and release it to the community.
We still have hope if they keep their promise!
Read a bit further:
Two years later, Kevin Barry left Branch and is no longer involved in Nova’s development. In his announcement, Barry revealed that he had been the sole developer for the past year, spending recent months preparing to open source Nova Launcher and clean up its codebase. However, Branch ultimately asked him to stop both development and his open-sourcing efforts.
Yeah, I read it. But they still promised open source, nothing about Barry working on it or not.
That's why I said "keeping their promise"
The fact that the company forced him to stop getting ready to open source it strongly suggests they aren't interested in it being open sourced.
Its Lawnchair or nothing for me.
I used to use lawnchair but there was some lag with it. Now I use whatever default launcher there is that graphene has
I dislike that I can't group up things in folders in graphene in the drawer. I switched to Smart Launcher. It's not exactly folders, but it's good.
I might be misremembering but wasn't it bought out by one of those data harvesting companies a while ago?
Yes
I don’t even know how to use Android without Nova…
Why does nothing good ever last?
I switched to Niagara a few years back because Nova didn't have good support for foldables and tbh I haven't looked back. It's very different but once you get used to it it's much faster than a traditional launcher.
I switched to Niagara a few years ago when Nova was sold. True game changer once you get used to it (which doesn't take too long). It works great on phone or tablet. And there is still something SO satisfying about watching the alphabet and apps move with your thumb. It's so smooth and the haptic feedback is perfect (running on Pixel 7, GrapheneOS, and a cheap old Samsung tablet A8).
Random video showing the UI within the first minute:
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Reminds me of QuickPic and ES File Explorer
Fuck, I've been using this since I got an android phone in 2008. RIP.
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this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2025
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