I’ve been using Nova Launcher on my Android phones and tablets for almost a decade. It’s my favorite launcher by a wide margin thanks to its flexibility and deep customization options. But some recent moves by the company that bought Nova two years ago have put the future of the app in serious jeopardy.
Developer Kevin Barry released the first version of Nova Launcher in late 2014, and it was an immediate hit among the still-thriving Android community. Nova uses the same sliding home page setup as most Android navigation systems, including Google and Samsung’s “default” home screens, but focuses on giving users as many options as possible.
With fast performance, frequent introductions of new features like compatibility with Google’s Discover news feed via a secondary program, and nigh-endless ways to make your home screen look and work just the way you want it to, Nova has remained the go-to launcher for many of Android’s most enthusiastic fans.
But Barry couldn’t keep up with all the features he wanted to add, not to mention supporting new versions of the operating system and hundreds of new phone designs every year, on his own. He quickly expanded his development team and made Nova into a thriving business via the Nova Prime upgrade, a $5 one-time add-on that brings even more options and advanced features. The upgrade has been downloaded more than five million times as of today.
Barry sold the Nova app, and essentially his own job and those of his coworkers, to Branch Metrics in 2022. As Ars Technica reports, Branch is an analytics company that helps corporate customers create and track links going into their sites, apps, and other points of entry. Branch now owns the copyright for Nova Launcher, according to the app’s own About page.
Nova/Branch
Last week the official Nova Launcher Twitter account said that in a round of company-wide layoffs, Branch has eliminated the jobs of more than ten people working on Nova. A now-unemployed community manager went into deeper details on Discord. Kevin Barry is now once again the only person actively developing Nova, ten years after he started…but doing it for someone else.
Long-time users have noticed a drop in Nova’s usual unrivaled quality for the last year or so. Bugs and performance issues that were typically fixed within a few weeks have lingered for months or more, and substantive updates (Nova is now in its eighth major release) are coming more slowly. Recent reviews on the Google Play Store indicate that major bugs, like disappearing icons, freezing home screens, and broken searches have become commonplace.
With resources and working power slashed to the bone by Branch after years of an expanding scope, Barry must now hold up Nova Launcher on his shoulders like a software developer Atlas.
I’m still using Nova on my phone, despite a lack of support for its folding form factor and, yes, the bugs that I too have encountered more frequently as of late. It’s still the best and most flexible option I’ve tried, including Samsung’s folding-friendly OneUI launcher. But I can’t say I’m enthusiastic for this launcher’s future in the hands of the current owner. I hope another Android developer, inspired by Nova and other launchers developed with so much community input, can fill its shoes.
Or perhaps that Kevin Barry can leave Nova to linger under the stewardship of Branch, and start fresh with a new program. Such things have been known to happen.