Nova Launcher: New owner comments on the future

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The alternative Android launcher Nova officially belongs to the Swedish company Instabridge as of January 20, 2026. Through the sale by the previous owner Branch, which had largely ceased development of the launcher, the project is apparently being breathed new life into without the founder Kevin Barry at all. Instabridge is now explaining in a post what the community can expect.

Instabridge emphasizes the advantages of the Nova Launcher for Android smartphones: "Speed, customization options, and user control." "When we saw how much the community was still interested in it, we knew that Nova deserved a stable future with active maintenance," explains the new owner.

Nova remains

As the post shows, Instabridge is pursuing the "immediate goal" of "keeping Nova stable and compatible with modern Android and actively maintaining it." Furthermore, the company sees that Nova has "a strong identity and a community" that "is still very engaged." This community is taken seriously.

Instabridge further states that it does not want to reinvent Nova overnight. Instead, the focus in further development should be on "performance and customization options." In addition, the plan is to fix bugs and keep up with changes in Android. Moreover, the new owner wants to solicit community feedback on important product decisions, for example via Reddit, Play Store reviews, and emails. A contact channel for support requests will be provided "shortly."

Nova Prime remains ad-free

To keep Nova alive and further develop it, a healthy business model is required to "invest appropriately in Nova." Instabridge is currently examining various options, including paid plans and integrated advertising.

The company promises that the paid version Nova Prime will remain ad-free and that the corresponding functions will remain available for existing Prime users. However, "other pricing options or tiers" may follow.

It further states: Instabridge wants to "offer a clean and fast experience, avoid disruptive formats, and provide a straightforward way to keep the experience ad-free."

Data collection and open source

The company wants to limit data collection "to a minimum" and make it transparent. "We do not sell personal data," it says.

Instabridge also addresses the topic of Nova's open source in the announcement, as this was a topic that Kevin Barry had discussed with Branch. Furthermore, Barry worked on developing an open-source version of the Nova Launcher until his departure.

The new owner is "actively" examining disclosure. "Responsible open-source release of a product includes licensing, security, build tools, contribution workflow, and brand management," says Instabridge. "We have not yet made a decision, but we will communicate it transparently once it has been made."

(afl)