End of an Era: Nova Launcher Is Shutting Down

One of Android’s most iconic customization tools is reaching the end of the road. Nova Launcher, the third-party home screen app that helped define Android theming for more than ten years, is being wound down after its founder Kevin Barry announced he is leaving Branch, the analytics firm that acquired Nova in 2022.

In a post on Sept. 6, Barry said he’s no longer involved with Nova. He added that he had been preparing to open-source the project—cleaning the codebase and coordinating with legal teams—after Branch leadership publicly promised the code would be handed to the community if he ever stepped away. According to Barry, he was told to stop the open-source effort before it could be completed.

Nova Launcher earned its reputation by letting users push Android far beyond stock capabilities: granular grid controls, gestures, icon packs, custom drawers, and more—all while staying fast and stable. Its trajectory changed after the 2022 acquisition. Nova gained deeper analytics to power experimental features, but by 2024 Branch laid off over a hundred developers, leaving Barry as the sole maintainer. The last stable update landed in May 2024, and with Barry out, active development has effectively ceased.

The community reaction has been immediate and emotional. Reddit threads are filled with tributes from long-time users calling Nova “legendary” and crediting it with shaping their Android experience from the Nexus era to today’s flagships. Barry replied to some messages, thanking users for their support on what he described as a difficult day.

For now, Nova Launcher still works and remains available to download, but without ongoing maintenance—or a released open-source codebase—compatibility will erode as Android evolves. If you rely on Nova, consider exporting your settings and evaluating alternatives so you can transition smoothly when updates or new devices eventually break core features.