There was once a time when Nova Launcher was the best Android launcher in the world. If you bought the premium version, you might very well feel compelled to continue using it. Sadly, now is the time to let go.
What happened to Nova Launcher?
It used to be the best
Credit: Kabir Jain/How-To Geek
Nova Launcher was once the undisputed king of Android customization, but its downfall has been a slow and painful one. It all started back in 2022 when the app, alongside Sesame Shortcuts, was acquired by Branch Metrics, a company specializing in mobile analytics and deep linking.
At the time, the original creator, Kevin Barry, assured the massive community of loyal users that Nova would remain independent and that development would continue as usual. For a while, that seemed to be the case, but the reality of corporate acquisitions eventually took its toll. In August 2024, Branch Metrics underwent a massive round of layoffs, letting go of over a hundred employees. This devastating cut included almost the entire Nova Launcher team, such as the long-time community manager and other core developers. Kevin Barry was left as the sole developer maintaining the project, which severely bottlenecked any future updates or innovations.
The final nail in the coffin came in September 2025, when Kevin Barry officially announced his departure from Branch Metrics. He had spent his final months attempting to clean up the app’s codebase with the noble intention of releasing Nova Launcher as an open-source project for the community to maintain. Unfortunately, Branch executives halted these open-source efforts, leaving the app in a state of limbo.
Shortly after Barry’s exit, the remnants of Nova Launcher were sold off to a Swedish company called Instabridge. What was once a passion project built by a dedicated team of enthusiasts has now been hollowed out, passing from one corporate entity to another.
Why is it dangerous to use now?
Money always ruins good things
Credit: Bertel King / How-To Geek
Now, not only is it in shady hands, but it might actually become actively dangerous to use. Remember, a launcher app requires deep system-level access, including permission to view your app usage, manage your storage, interact with your widgets, and monitor your screen activity. When Nova Launcher was managed by its original team, folks trusted that this immense level of access was being handled responsibly. But the recent acquisition by Instabridge has shattered that trust.
Recent investigations into the latest updates have revealed a disturbing shift toward aggressive monetization and data harvesting. Independent developers and privacy advocates analyzing the app’s code discovered the integration of multiple third-party tracking frameworks, including Facebook Ads, Google AdMob, and the Moloco SDK. The app is actively phoning home to servers, exchanging background data, and building user profiles based on device interactions.
You are essentially granting a data-mining operation unrestricted access to your daily phone habits. Continuing to use Nova Launcher means willfully installing software that monitors which apps you open, when you open them, and how you interact with your device. Big yikes, indeed.
What alternatives do you have?
There are still good alternatives out there
Letting go of a familiar app is never easy, but the Android ecosystem is filled with phenomenal, privacy-respecting alternatives that can easily fill the void left by Nova Launcher. If your primary goal is to replicate the classic, highly customizable experience that Nova provided, Lawnchair is undoubtedly the best replacement available. Built on the foundation of the open-source Android launcher, Lawnchair delivers a clean, Pixel-like aesthetic while offering an incredible amount of granular control over icon packs, grid sizes, and dock configurations. And because it is fully open-source, you can trust that there are no hidden trackers or malicious ad networks lurking in the background.
Another fantastic option for those who want a fresh approach to home screen management is Smart Launcher. Instead of relying on manual folder creation and tedious organization, Smart Launcher automatically categorizes your apps into intelligent, easily accessible tabs. It features an incredibly robust theme engine, allowing you to tweak colors, fonts, and widget shapes to match your wallpaper perfectly.
For those of you who want to maximize your productivity and minimize distractions, Niagara Launcher offers a completely different, minimalist philosophy. It ditches the traditional grid layout entirely in favor of a sleek, vertical list that is heavily optimized for one-handed use on large, modern smartphones. By bubbling up your most important notifications and favorite apps directly to the home screen, Niagara keeps your interface incredibly clean and focused.
Nova Launcher isn’t as needed anymore
Finally, it is worth noting that default system launchers have improved drastically over the past few years. Whether you are using Google’s Pixel Launcher or Samsung’s One UI Home, you might find that the built-in software already offers enough customization, stability, and speed to keep you happy without needing to install a third-party app at all. In fact, I actually tried all of the launchers in this list and ended up just going back to my default launcher after a while.
UPDATE: 2026/04/20 11:25 EST BY JOE FEDEWA
Upcoming AI assistant wants even more data
Nova Launcher v8.6.8 beta includes the groundwork for a new AI assistant. It will try to learn about user behavior by monitoring app usage and connecting with the calendar, call logs, contacts, and location. These features may not come to stable in this form, but as the editorial above highlights, it’s clear Nova’s current direction is far from the original intent.
