I am a paying Nova Prime user and I really love that I can press on an app to open it. OR swipe up on a app to open a directory where I put similar apps
Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher
121–130 of 173 posts
Re: Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher
#122Hope the dev will opensource it and do smth like what Maps.me did wirh Organic maps
Re: Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher
#123Haven't heard of Nova in a very long time, this was one of the original customizable launchers for Android wasn't it? If it's gone this long without being open-sourced, it might be time to let go. Been using https://kisslauncher.com/ for many years and have no complaints.
KISS is a complete paradigm shift from other phone launchers. It takes some getting used to. It has made me rethink how I use my phone from time to time because I have it set to sort by recently used: I only have a few apps I use regularly it seems. Not for everyone, but it's my preferred way to use a phone now.
Didn't know about KISS, I know Kvaesitso is also a search-focused launcher (that seems to have more features ? I didn't download KISS)
Re: Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher
#124On any Android phone I immediately install Niagara. Best launcher by far. Makes everything so efficient and beautiful.
Niagara is amazing. It's quite different from other launchers, so either it works for you or doesn't. It perfectly matches what I was doing before, which was searching for apps by name to launch them.
There's also the open source Kvaesitso !
Re: Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher
#125Earlier quoted context omitted.
Since they claim to be a Swedish company, it might be worth filing a report with the Swedish consumer agency[0]. I am not a lawyer, and especially not a Swedish lawyer, so I can't say how illegal this is in Sweden or what if anything will happen. [0] https://www.konsumentverket.se/en/articles/report-to-the-swe...
The Sweden that gave us Spotify and Candy Crush (the game that showed every tech company that they need to incorporate really really awful manipulation of users)? That country loves their evil software.
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Re: Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher
#126Ugh, quite annoying. My next phone might be an Android (instead of the current iPhone), and I was looking forward to returning to Nova Launcher, after having used it many years ago as my favorite launcher. This feels like a big no-go now. What are other good customizable launchers on Android nowadays?
Lawnchair newest beta, though they still didnt fix years old bug with dark/black font on dark/black background in folders/drawer
also resizing/padding widgets ain't as good as Nova, but for sure much better than Octopi which is completely weird, tried yesterday, chaotic settings, can't even disable background picture for dock
switched yesterday to Lawnchair from Nova after 10+ years, seems OK besides those few quirks, but still keeping Nova as backup, will see after 2 weeks testing how is the stability, if I can remove even nova backup
Re: Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher
#127It's 2026, why are people still using custom launchers? Serious question from a former Nova Prime user.
Honestly... I just wants a launcher with tabs to sort apps in categories (no not app groups). Nova Prime almost gone, before that Apex Launcher... And every other launcher seems to just love to just present a search bar to find your apps and use some magic sorting algorithm to sort your apps... I want predictable, user ordered apps in tabs so I can open one by heart with my eyes closed.
Same. I organize my phone into screens by topic (apps and some widgets), that allows me to keep a mental model without remembering app names etc. Will probably be hard to find a 1:1 replacement for Nova Launcher, if it enshittifies :/
Re: Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher
#128Earlier quoted context omitted.
Many open source projects fail to find sustainable funding. If a cure is not financially viable it is not much different than the cure not existing.
So, you're not wrong. People that work for money will want money, and ultimately can be bought. People that work for love produce the best they can with limited resources, and are often broke. I don't think we've found a way to bridge the gap. I've come to generally rely on work people do for love, and I contribute to them, but it's clearly not sustainable unless they have another source of income. Anyone who solves…
What's to solve? Here's the way the gap is supposed to work and often does: People work for love or money on a product. Other people love the product and are happy to purchase it. This creates income for the original producer and a beneficial product for the consumer. If a product is successful and popular enough, the capitalist cycle gains momentum for both parties to continue the relationship.
Re: Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher
#129I use Niagara Launcher because of the simplicity and quick access to every app. I highly recommend to everyone who wants a fast launcher and clean look.
Niagara is exquisite.
Re: Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher
#130It blows my mind how many stories hit the front page, every day, that bottom out on whining about proprietary software. I've literally been talking about the Win10/11 whining for 3+ years, and yet EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK THERE ARE MORE. Lawnchair is *EXCELLENT*. I say that as a former Nova Launcher user. And Lawnchair is fully OSS and actively developed. I just cannot fathom people who enjoy this non-stop BS rollercoaste…
Lawnchair blacklists/used to blacklist apps they did not like. That does seem user friendly.
What kind of apps did they blacklist, and why?