One of the best Android launchers is in trouble

By Nadeem Sarwar Published August 9, 2024

I vividly remember the early days of the awesome CyanogenMod custom ROM, which essentially turbocharged an average Android phone’s software to give it loads of extra features and settings. With the unfortunate death of CyanogenOS in 2016, I turned my attention to Nova Launcher in my college days. Ever since, I’ve installed the launcher on almost every Android phone that I got my hands on and customized the interface to my heart’s content.

But it seems the twilight of those days looms large over Nova Launcher. In 2022, the company behind this awesome Android launcher was acquired by an analytics company named Branch. A day ago, Branch laid off the entire Nova Launcher team except Kevin Barry, creator of the well-loved launcher.

“Nova still has one full time staff member and a developer who splits their time between Nova and other projects, but those two are going to be stretched extremely thin with code, hundreds of support emails, the community, PR, etc.,” wrote Rob Wainwright, engineering veteran and community lead for the Nova Launcher project.

Today is a sad day. Even though we’re competitors, we’ve gotten to know the Nova team over the years and have always had mutual respect. @CliffWade and @apex2504 are very talented, and it’s hard to see why they were let go. We wish Cliff, Rob, and everyone affected the best. https://t.co/6OllqykCKt

— Smart Launcher (@SmartLauncher) August 8, 2024

In a message posted on the official Discord channel, Barry mentioned that the turn of events was disappointing, but he still plans to wrap up work on a brewing build that will soon ship as an update for existing Nova Launcher users. However, it seems poor cost-cutting led to the brutal restructuring, which reportedly resulted in over 100 layoffs at Branch.

“I’m not even angry at the company for doing what companies do: reduce cost,” Wainwright posted on BlueSky. “I’m disappointed that these were not adequately considered and unfortunately I don’t really see a path forward without the full core team.”

Where Nova Launcher goes from here remains uncertain. Ardent fans are visibly disheartened by the shift, and many have already started discussing viable alternatives in Reddit threads. However, one can expect the pace of updates and feature additions to dry up dramatically moving ahead. More importantly, hearing feedback and resolving bugs is going to become a nightmare, considering the lack of manpower.

Despite being somewhat competitors, it is depressing to hear this. @CliffWade, @apex2504, and everyone affected, I wish you all the very best in your future endeavors. https://t.co/08M0sEsDiU

— Niagara Launcher (@NiagaraLauncher) August 8, 2024

Many are hoping that the team behind Smart Launcher laps up the laid-off workers and hopefully kick-starts work on an alternative, but that seems unlikely. Cliff Wade, who worked with the Nova team for approximately nine years, mentioned on Reddit that it wasn’t “going to happen” because the Smart Launcher team isn’t in a position to afford the talent cost.

But it’s not just enthusiastic users who are mourning Nova Launcher’s predictably dark future. Competitors like Niagara and Smart Launcher also shared uplifting messages regarding the upheaval. Nova was a popular choice mainly because of its sheer scope for deep customization and convenience. Now, the app’s future is distressingly grim.