Nova Launcher is no more as its founder and only developer has left
The founder of Nova Launcher said he was told to stop his work on open-sourcing the project.
If you’ve ever used an Android launcher, chances are that you’ve at least stumbled upon Nova Launcher. Unfortunately, one of the most popular names in the sphere, Nova, is now officially shutting down.
A year after almost everyone who was working on Nova was laid off, its founder and original developer, Kevin Barry, announced he was no longer involved with the project. Barry said he was asked to stop working on the launcher and the open source release he was preparing.
The website for Nova Launcher is currently unavailable, but the app is still available for download on Google Play.
Nova was acquired by the mobile analytics company Branch Metrics in 2022. At the time of the acquisition, then-CEO and founder Alex Austin said it was part of the contract that Nova Launcher would be made open source and released to the community if Kevin Barry were to leave Branch Metrics.
However, Austin left Branch in 2023, and in 2024, the company laid off over 100 people, including everyone who was working on Nova. With Kevin Barry out, it is unlikely that Nova Launcher will ever be open-sourced.
Some of Nova’s fans have reacted strongly to the news. Reddit users have shared their appreciation and tributes, with one user calling the launcher “legendary” for its contribution to the success of Android. Kevin Barry responded to some of the comments, saying “it was a hard day” for him.
Users have also started a Change.org petition, asking for the project to be open-sourced. The petition has over 2,200 verified signatures.
Seeing one of the legendary Android launchers gone is sad. Even if this type of software isn’t as important as it used to be, it appears some people are still using it. Considering it was promised that Nova would be open-sourced, I plan to sign that petition and keep my fingers crossed that justice will prevail.
A year after almost everyone who was working on Nova was laid off, its founder and original developer, Kevin Barry, announced he was no longer involved with the project. Barry said he was asked to stop working on the launcher and the open source release he was preparing.
Nova was acquired by the mobile analytics company Branch Metrics in 2022. At the time of the acquisition, then-CEO and founder Alex Austin said it was part of the contract that Nova Launcher would be made open source and released to the community if Kevin Barry were to leave Branch Metrics.
However, Austin left Branch in 2023, and in 2024, the company laid off over 100 people, including everyone who was working on Nova. With Kevin Barry out, it is unlikely that Nova Launcher will ever be open-sourced.
Some of Nova’s fans have reacted strongly to the news. Reddit users have shared their appreciation and tributes, with one user calling the launcher “legendary” for its contribution to the success of Android. Kevin Barry responded to some of the comments, saying “it was a hard day” for him.
Users have also started a Change.org petition, asking for the project to be open-sourced. The petition has over 2,200 verified signatures.
Seeing one of the legendary Android launchers gone is sad. Even if this type of software isn’t as important as it used to be, it appears some people are still using it. Considering it was promised that Nova would be open-sourced, I plan to sign that petition and keep my fingers crossed that justice will prevail.
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