Bad News for Nova Launcher Users: Founder Leaves, No Open Source Release

If you use Nova Launcher to personalize your Android experience, we have some bad news for you. The third-party tool is officially shutting down, leaving fans disappointed. This means you won’t receive updates or new features, and eventually, it may stop working on newer versions of Android.

Nova Launcher’s open source ambitions halted

For over a decade, Nova Launcher has earned the title of one of the best Android launchers. It lets users personalize their Android home screen with a bunch of tools such as grid sizes, folder styles, gestures, and more. Furthermore, you also get control over animations and scrolling speeds, giving you a modern experience.

However, the future of Nova Launcher is now uncertain as Kevin Barry, the original developer and founder, leaves Branch, the analytics firm that acquired Nova in 2022. Last year, Branch laid off more than a hundred employees, leaving Barry to manage everything on his own. And now, he has left the project as well.

In a blog post, the founder wrote, “Nova Launcher has been an incredible project and has an incredible community. I’m grateful for the years of support, feedback, and enthusiasm”. He wanted to release Nova as open source and had been working on it for the past few months. This includes cleaning up the code, checking licenses, removing or replacing private parts, and working with lawyers to make it available without any problem.

However, Branch recently asked him to stop working on the launcher and its open-sourcing effort. Several Nova fans are now upset after hearing this news and have written appreciation posts on Reddit. One user wrote, “Nova has been with me every day since my first smartphone, even on my brand new S25 bought last month. It was such a fruitful purchase. Thank you for all those years of dedication”.

Note that the app will continue to work for now, so you can still use it on your devices. However, since it won’t receive compatible updates, it may not support future Android versions. You should consider checking out alternative third-party launchers. Meanwhile, if you are a Galaxy user, you can explore all customization options in the Good Lock suites.