It’s the top of an period: the founder and unique developer of Nova Launcher — Kevin Barry — has stepped away from the event of the long-lasting customized launcher. This primarily marks the top of the highway for the launcher, as it’s unlikely to obtain updates or new options. For years now, Nova Launcher has been the go-to launcher for energy Android customers, standing out for its plethora of customization choices and options.
In hindsight, the downfall of Nova Launcher is not stunning. In 2022, Nova Launcher was acquired by analytics agency Department. As a part of the acquisition, Department additionally bought the unique workforce, comprising Kevin Barry and Nova Neighborhood supervisor Cliff Wade, on board. Again then, the corporate famous they would not intrude in Nova’s improvement, leaving Kevin and his workforce in full management.
In a Reddit AMA, the then-Department CEO Alex Austin additionally revealed that if Kevin ever left Department, they might open-source Nova Launcher’s code and launch it to the neighborhood.
All this seemed promising on the time, however cracks started to point out in 2024 when Department introduced company-wide layoffs, leaving the Nova workforce with only one member — its founder, Kevin Barry. That is considerably down from the unique workforce, which consisted of 12 folks.
Two years later, Kevin Barry left Department and is not concerned in Nova’s improvement. In his announcement, Barry revealed that he had been the only real developer for the previous 12 months, spending latest months getting ready to open supply Nova Launcher and clear up its codebase. Nevertheless, Department in the end requested him to cease each improvement and his open-sourcing efforts.
The tip of the highway for an iconic Android launcher
Sadly, that is the top of the highway for Nova Launcher as we all know it. Department is unlikely to replace the app, and even when it does, with out the unique creator on the helm, do not anticipate the identical imaginative and prescient, polish, or innovation that made Nova the go-to launcher for thousands and thousands of Android customers.
In case you’re utilizing Nova Launcher in your cellphone, nothing will change instantly. However over time, points are certain to crop up — particularly as Google rolls out new Android variations. So, it might be a good suggestion to begin exploring various launchers now.
