A sad day for Android phone owners – one of the most beloved downloads is no more

Customisation has always been a cornerstone of Android. From the early days of the operating system's launch in 2008 on the HTC Dream (or Google G1), being able to switching around parts of the user interface to your preference was one of the biggest draws of Android compared to Apple's iOS.

And one of the biggest changes you could make to the day-to-day experience on your device was the launcher, or the home screen pages. This significantly changed the character of a phone, opening up the option to buy from an unknown brand and still get what you wanted, or circumnavigate the manufacturer's own home screen.

No app was more synonymous with this than Nova Launcher. However, it seems that the much loved app is no more. While it remains available for download, it's no longer being developed after the departure of Kevin Barry – the founder and original programmer.

Wind back to 2022 and the story becomes a little clearer. That year, Nova Launcher was acquired by Branch, a deep linking and metrics company. In 2024, the workforce was laid off, with only Kevin Barry left working on Nova Launcher.

But now, according to a blog post from Barry (via 9to5Google), he's been asked to stop working on Nova Launcher and so has left Branch entirely.

That leaves Nova Launcher in limbo, with the last recorded update in May 2024.

Sadly, that means it's probably time to move on from the Android launcher and find another solution. Barry had been working to make Nova Launcher open source, but ultimately, that didn't happen.

Nova Launcher played a key role in the development of the Android experience over the last decade and a half and I personally used it on a number of devices. The thing I loved about it was being able to use features that your phone lacked to make your device behave differently.

Admittedly, I was distracted by Google Now, which I thought was a really advanced launcher and huge preview into the future of Google's plans. Manufacturers weren't blind to customers using Nova, with many expanding options to give more flexibility, until more recently, when using a third-party launcher started to come with more compromises.

Charting the progression of Android, the early years felt edgy and fun, but it really felt like you could have a phone that did exactly what you wanted it to do. The world has now changed, with a greater focus on security and proprietary experiences, and the promise that AI will take us back to those halcyon days gone by.

Now would be a great time for that vision to come to life, but sadly, AI seems to be focused on translation, summaries and making goofy images.

Farewell Nova Launcher, your place in Android history is secure.