For over a decade, Nova Launcher has established itself as the standard for Android customization, a true beacon for users who sought to shape the interface of their smartphone according to their own wishes.
However, the recent history of this iconic app has been turbulent, marked by acquisitions, layoffs and, in September 2025, the departure of its founder and the only remaining developer, Barry.
That event seemed to have decreed the definitive end of the project. Yet, against all odds, Nova Launcher has returned to make headlines about itself thanks to a new acquisition, even if the direction taken by the new ownership may rub purists of the old guard the wrong way.
Nova Launcher, an unexpected leadership handover
After the period of uncertainty following the acquisition by the analytics company Branch in July 2022, which had led to a progressive slowdown in development and the dismissal of the original team, the app’s future seemed doomed.
The turning point came with the entry onto the scene of Instabridge, a Swedish company known for developing connectivity-related products and internet access.
This new entity took over Nova Launcher with the promise to save it from oblivion, but with a management philosophy radically different from the past.
Instabridge’s stated approach is pragmatic and focused on the survival of the software rather than its reinvention.
The company clarified that the immediate goal is to keep the launcher running and compatible with modern versions of Android.
There is, at least for now, no intention to overhaul the application with revolutionary new features or graphical restyling; the priority has been assigned to stability, bug fixes and performance, ensuring that Nova continues to run smoothly on users’ devices.
The price of survival: advertising and tracking
On one hand, the news that the app will not be shut down is reassuring, but on the other hand, worrying details emerge about how its economic sustainability will be guaranteed.
Instabridge has openly spoken about the need to explore a sustainable business model, a corporate language that often signals unpopular changes.
Rumors and analyses suggest that the free version of Nova Launcher could soon host advertisements, a historic shift for an app that has built its brand on cleanliness and absence of distractions.
Even more alarming for the privacy-conscious community is what the company has not publicly announced but that was discovered by analyzing the app’s code. It seems that quietly advertising tracking systems from Facebook and Google have been integrated.
This move, uncovered by careful observers, almost unequivocally confirms the imminent arrival of advertising and raises serious questions about user data management, marking a clear break with the ‘user-first’ philosophy that characterized the era of the original founder.
The fate of Nova Prime and the new pricing tiers
As for long-time users who purchased Nova Prime, the paid version, there are conflicting reports. Instabridge has assured that existing licenses will be honored and that the Prime version will remain free of ads.
Furthermore, the license price has been reduced to €3.99, a move likely aimed at attracting new buyers in this transition phase.
However, the company has indicated that new subscription levels or higher price tiers may be introduced in the future, perhaps necessary to unlock new or advanced features.
Moreover, there is no concrete guarantee that the current Prime version will receive significant new features. With the focus shifted to ordinary maintenance, the risk is that Nova Launcher becomes a ‘zombie’ product: alive and running, but lacking the innovative push that once made it unique.
For long-time users, the good news is that the launcher will not stop working tomorrow, but the trade-off might be accepting a less private and more commercialized ecosystem, or the possible switch to costly ‘Ultra’ plans to maintain the experience they were used to.
