Nova Launcher, a cornerstone of Android customization for over a decade, has effectively ceased development. Its founder and sole developer, Kevin Barry, has announced his departure from Branch Metrics, the company that acquired the launcher in 2022. The move marks a definitive end to new features and updates for the app.
A Broken Promise and a Betrayed Community
Barry revealed he had been preparing to open-source the launcher, honoring a previous public commitment from Branch’s former CEO, Alex Austin. However, Barry was ultimately told to stop working on both development and the open-source effort. This decision effectively seals the project’s future, as no active development team remains. The Android community has reacted with a mix of tribute and frustration, mourning the loss of a key tool. A Change.org petition has been created, urging the company to release the source code as originally promised.
What This Means for Users
While Nova Launcher is still available on the Google Play Store and will continue to function on current devices, it will not receive updates. Without ongoing development to ensure compatibility with new versions of Android, the app will eventually become obsolete. This leaves millions of loyal users to either switch to alternatives or continue using the app until it no longer functions as expected.
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