Nova Launcher's sole developer resigns, future hangs in the balance

The End of an Era: Nova Launcher's Sole Developer Departs, Leaving the Future Uncertain

The beloved Nova Launcher for Android, a staple for customization enthusiasts for over a decade, finds itself at a critical juncture. Following a wave of layoffs last year that saw almost the entire team depart, Kevin Barry, the founder and sole remaining developer, has announced his resignation from its parent company, Branch Metrics. This seismic shift leaves the future of one of Android's most iconic customization tools in a precarious state.

A Promise Unfulfilled and a Developer's Departure

Barry, the visionary behind Nova Launcher, revealed his decision to leave Branch, citing a directive to halt work on the project and its potential open-sourcing. For months, Barry had been diligently preparing Nova Launcher for an open-source release, a process involving extensive code cleanup, license verification, and the removal of proprietary elements. This endeavor was fueled by public commitments made by Alex Austin, the then-CEO and founder of Branch, at the time of Nova's acquisition in 2022. Austin had assured the community that the code would be made publicly available and entrusted to the community's hands. However, with Barry's departure, this promise hangs precariously in the balance.

“Nova Launcher is an incredible project and has an incredible community. I am grateful for the years of support, feedback, and enthusiasm.”

Barry's statement paints a poignant picture of a dedicated developer whose passion project was seemingly sidelined by evolving corporate priorities. The original commitment to open-sourcing, once a beacon of hope for the Nova community, now appears to be a forgotten pledge. Alex Austin himself departed Branch Metrics in 2023, and the current leadership seems to have little interest in reviving the project's open-source aspirations.

Branch Metrics' Shifting Focus and Community Uproar

According to Cliff Wade, the former Head of Customer Relations for Nova, who was let go in 2024, Branch is now prioritizing other ventures and views Nova Launcher as a mere asset they own, devoid of further strategic value. "It's just an app they own, but they no longer have a need for it," Wade reportedly stated. This sentiment fuels the skepticism among former employees regarding the possibility of Branch granting the necessary permissions for an open-source release.

The fallout from this news has been swift. A petition has been launched on Change.org by devoted Nova Launcher users, passionately demanding that the project be open-sourced. It remains unclear if Branch Metrics has any binding legal obligations beyond the public assurances made by its former CEO, especially now that Barry, the driving force behind the open-source initiative, is no longer affiliated with the company. Many journalists who have reported on this story are themselves long-time users, underscoring the deep personal connection many have to Nova Launcher's ability to transform the Android interface.

Navigating the Future: What Android Users Can Do

For years, Nova Launcher has offered a welcome respite from the often-uninspired design choices of Google and smartphone manufacturers. Its lightweight nature and unparalleled customization options have empowered users to craft truly personalized Android experiences, a freedom that extends to seamlessly migrating preferred UIs across different devices. As the official site for Nova Launcher now displays a 404 error, signaling a potential shutdown, the question on every user's mind is: what next?

While the launcher remains accessible on the Google Play Store for the time being, the future is uncertain. The prevailing advice is to continue using Nova Launcher while it's still functional. For those who wish to preserve their custom setups beyond this period, exploring the possibility of using APKs, provided Google's actions don't impede compatibility, might be a viable, albeit temporary, solution. The hope for an open-source future, however, appears increasingly dim, leaving a void in the Android customization landscape.