It's time to uninstall Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher, once a popular Android launcher, has been acquired by Instabridge, leading to the imminent introduction of intrusive ads and a recommendation for users to switch to alternative launchers.

• Nova Launcher has been acquired by Instabridge, which plans to monetize it through highly intrusive ads.

• Instabridge's past apps demonstrate a history of excessive and disruptive advertising to push users to paid tiers.

• Users are strongly advised to uninstall Nova Launcher and switch to alternative Android launchers due to these negative developments.

Nova Launcher has undergone significant changes since 2022, starting with its acquisition by Branch Metrics for data harvesting, followed by the departure of its original developer, Kevin Berry. Recently, Instabridge acquired Nova Launcher from Branch Metrics, claiming a need for a sustainable business model, which it plans to achieve through integrating ads. Evidence suggests that Instabridge is already implementing highly intrusive ads into Nova Launcher, prompting strong recommendations for users to uninstall and move to alternative options.

Nova's Ownership Changes

• 00:00:48 Nova Launcher, a popular Android launcher for over a decade, was acquired by Branch Metrics from its original developer, Kevin Berry, in 2022. Branch Metrics intended to monetize Nova through user data harvesting, and Kevin Berry initially remained the sole developer. In September of last year, Berry departed, declaring Nova 'dead,' though a minor update later fixed a crashing issue before new feature development ceased.

Instabridge Acquisition & Ads

• 00:02:26 Instabridge recently purchased Nova Launcher from Branch Metrics, marking another change in ownership. While Instabridge claims it aims to sustain Nova's development, its business model involves integrating ads, a departure from Nova's previous one-time purchase 'Prime' model. Despite Instabridge's assertion that ads haven't been implemented yet, code snippets and user screenshots confirm that intrusive ads, capable of generating calendar events or saving images to galleries, are already appearing in the latest Nova Launcher version.

Instabridge's Reputation

• 00:06:34 Instabridge has a reputation for implementing ads in an obtrusive manner, as evidenced by user reviews of its main 'Instabridge' hotspot app. Users frequently complain about excessive flashing pop-ups and the app attempting to force itself as a default browser or launcher. Instabridge's response to these complaints typically states that ads are 'necessary,' pushing users towards paid versions to remove them, indicating a similar future for Nova Launcher.

User Options and Recommendations

• 00:09:24 Users of Nova Launcher face several options, none ideal: continue using Nova hoping Instabridge changes course, install Nova version 8.1.6 and disable auto-updates (still includes Branch analytics), or sideload Nova version 7.0.57 (pre-Branch, but outdated). The strongest recommendation is to uninstall Nova Launcher, accepting that its era is over, and transition to alternative launchers like Lawn Chair or others listed in resources provided by Android Authority.