Nova Launcher could soon introduce Nova AI, a built-in AI assistant complete with a chatbot, and a new Nova Plus subscription tier
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- Squizzy@lemmy.worldEnglish8 minutes
Somebody please give me a lightweight alternative.
Had the pro version for years. I dont want niagra or lawnchair. The pixel launcher sucks.
- dance_ninja@lemmy.worldEnglish1 hour
Oh yay creepware. Anyone know a good launcher with support for tablets?
28 minutesI switched from Nova to Smart Launcher.
Missing a few things I liked but still super capable
Moved to action launcher after the sale. Enshittification was inevitable.
- nevetsg@aussie.zoneEnglish1 hour
Other people are still rocking Action Launcher? I thought I was the only one left. Covers are my favourite feature.
- Echolynx@lemmy.zipEnglish1 hour
I’m surprised people are still using this. I haven’t used Nova for almost a decade.
I’ve been quite happy with Niagara for the last few months.
- lyralycan@sh.itjust.worksEnglish30 minutes
+1 for Niagara, plus even though you don’t have to, pro features can be purchased outside of Google Play.
- Joelk111@lemmy.worldEnglish14 minutes
+2 for offering a lifetime purchase option (though it is kinda pricey)
- Bluefruit@lemmy.worldEnglish4 hours
What a great advertisement for almost any other launcher.
Lawnchair is my go to if anyone wants a pretty simple and customizable launcher that respects your privacy.
- statler_waldorf@sopuli.xyzEnglish34 minutes
It sounded interesting so I gave it a look and realized that I’ve been using it for years now and it’s just so unobtrusive that I forgot about it.
- Armand1@lemmy.worldEnglish44 minutes
+1. Just last week they added the ability to import Nova backups.
- Jeremyward@lemmy.worldEnglish2 hours
I downloaded the APK for the old version before they added the spyware and bloatware, but i turned off auto updates and Google Play keeps trying to get me to update Nova launcher to the newest version 🥱
Not going to happen and the best part is there was no forced update within the app so im going to keep using the old one till it breaks.
I’ve tested several popular ones and landed at Lawnchair as well. Plus point for being FOSS.
I don’t think anybody is pretending it’s a legitimate reason. We all know the reason. The developer knows the reason. It’s exactly what you think it is
there have been enough reasons to ditch nova in the past years, in case someone is still using it
- 2022 acquired by branch metrics, data harvesting company https://www.androidcentral.com/apps-software/branch-strikes-twice-with-nova-launcher-and-sesame-search-acquisition
- 2024 nearly everyone laid off https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/9/24217077/nova-launcher-layoffs-only-original-developer-remaining
- 2025 original dev left after being told to stop working on the open source efforts https://www.theverge.com/news/773937/nova-launcher-founder-left-kevin-barry-branch-open-source-android
- 2026 fb and google ads tracking https://lemdro.id/post/lemdro.id/35049920
- 2026 (this post) evidences for built-in AI that harvests your data https://www.androidauthority.com/nova-launcher-ai-plus-subscription-apk-teardown-3658932/
Yeah the only words they needed in the headline were “Nova Launcher sucks”
- 6 hours
I was still using it because I was too lazy to migrate things over to another.
And then I saw this post, so I guess it was time. Only took half an hour to figure out how to get Lawnchair doing basically what I wanted it to.
- Pzulu@lemmy.worldEnglish5 hours
Octopi Launcher is damn near a replacement. Learn nothing new, muscle memory for swiping up or down on dock icons to open other apps.
Those were my requirements and it nails it.
- 4 hours
Its a shame its not FOSS. Just checked it for trackers, and according to this site, there are none.
https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.otp.octopilauncher/latest/
- paris@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish5 hours
Never heard of it but this thing looks fully featured and very polished. I’m surprised I haven’t heard of it before since I’ve gone looking for decent launchers!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.otp.octopilauncher
Switched to Octopi as well and had to configure it a little to get it setup but now I almost forget that I even switched
- Giblets4all@lemmy.worldEnglish5 hours
The one feature I use most of all on Nova is swipe down on the screen to search. I has that all the time and would be tough to give up. I also really like the ability to swipe up on a folder and have it launch the first app in the folder.
I’ll give Octopi a try on an older phone and hopefully it has some of these same features.
lawnchair is what I swapped to a few years back. I do want to warn… be careful updating it. Always make a backup of lawnchair prior to allowing it to update because ive had it fail to update twice now and have had to restore the backup on the new version.
- oyfrog@lemmy.worldEnglish4 hours
Yeah I switched to lawn chair a few months ago because I kept seeing these stories about Nova’s parent company. I like it just fine—i haven’t had the issues you have (thankfully)—but there are a few features I miss from nova. Oh well, I’d rather have the peace of mind than the minor feature.
- Canaconda@lemmy.caEnglish5 hours
Or it just keeps breaking and not reading my files.
Oh I am confusing this for Nova Video player.
Damn I was excited to switch to this Lawnchair everyone is so indifferent about.
- null@lemmy.orgEnglish2 hours
What could I use to keep macros like double-tapping my screen to open a specific app?
- Malyca@lemmy.zipEnglish5 hours
I switched from Nova to Niagara a couple years ago and I’m very happy with it
- lyralycan@sh.itjust.worksEnglish3 minutes
>Downloads Niagara to minimalise my phone, reduce distractions
>Buys Pro, re-enables iconsAm I a heathen
Used Nova for close to ten years. Switched last year to Kvaesitso.
I recommend everyone still using Nova to look into options and switch. It’s not as scary as it seems.
- tmyakal@infosec.pubEnglish6 hours
I don’t hate Lawnchair. I just hate Nova making the switch necessary.
- lyralycan@sh.itjust.worksEnglish7 minutes
Well it’s a good thing those two URIs can be easily blocked. Besides you can get the app from their Github page (sadly no F-droid repo as closed-source), and pay for Pro (if wanted) via Stripe instead of Google Play. I also had issues migrating Niagara off of Google once I’d connected the two, but an email correspondence with the lead dev Max Rumpf got the issue pleasantly and quickly resolved.
- 5 hours
Just turn off network sharing if you have something like Graphene OS
Well yeah that’s the only way but then you lose the meteorology API which is a shame.
It sucks because Niagara is easily my favourite launcher, but I can’t afford to have a proprietary app with insane privileges across my device.
- lyralycan@sh.itjust.worksEnglish24 minutes
It’s likely the only reason for the privilege is to collect coords to send to the weather API. At least it’s optional, and there are alternative ways to see weather reports, just not on the home screen.
I tried accessing Google Photos via my phone to handle a couple of things I had active on that account from before. Little fuck refused to let me open the app unless it had unconditional access to all my media.
- 6 hours
Fuck all this. Stock android degoogled/Lineageos should be standard for every phone.
Next phone I get will be 100% degoogled. Hopefully a full Linux distro is out by then. I wish there was a Linux distro for phones that was just the regular OS but with adaptive standards like how websites change with desktop and mobile and Windows size changes.
Check out Swappa.com, find an unlocked Google Pixel 7a or 8a, and load GrapheneOS onto it.
- 3 hours
Yeah might end up doing that. I’m waiting for the graphene official phones for now while my current phone is still functioning.
Top 3 Pros:
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You have a daily driver OS that is so open you can install any app on it that can be sideloaded.
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You have access to the Google Pixel camera, which, when paired with Open Camera or any open source camera app, can take photos in stunning detail without having to rely on Google’s proprietary software.
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The form factor of the A-series of Pixels, depending on your hand size, may be just the right fit for your hands. I have big hands and even I find the Pro/XL models to be a bit big for my tastes.
Top 3 Cons:
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There are some banking, payment, etc. apps that won’t even open without Google Play Services being installed. Fortunately, GrapheneOS has Sandboxed Google Play services that isolates Google Play services from the OS and allows only the necessary minimum utilities from Play Services for those apps to be useable.
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Google’s Tensor chip is…not good. Like it’s Exynos bad. Fortunately, I believe the Pixel 6 series had the first and worst version of the chip. Each phone after has slowly improved the reliability of the modem so calls can be made in/outbound. Thankfully, GrapheneOS recently partnered with Motorola to allow future Motorola phones to be installed with GrapheneOS, so ideally their phones should have much better modems.
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[insert third con I can’t think of here]
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Wasn’t nova launcher basically shut down not even 2 years ago.
Last I knew they fired everyone but 1 dev, then that dev said “yea fuck this im out” and left as well.
