Are there comparable alternatives? I never found another launcher that I like as much.
I switched to Lawnchair 2. It’s free, open source and quite versatile. Probably not as much as Nova, though it’s been a few years since I last used it.
It is significantly less than Nova. People keep suggesting it but it’s not a true replacement for those that were actually using Nova to its full potential. They’re frankly isn’t a replacement right now that goes all out on providing users customization options. That’s not in vogue anymore, apparently.
Lawnchair 2 isn’t available for my phone since the app is too old, and I’m only on Android 12.
Edit: this only applies to the Play Store version
That’s odd, I’m on Android 14 and it works just fine here.
Very strange. I get a big notification and everything.
I see, I installed it through Aurora on my device. But you can just download the apk from their Github or https://lawnchair.app/ instead. Only Google PlayStore seems to have disabled the download even though the app still works perfectly fine.
That would explain it. Thanks!
Lawnchair 2 is no longer under development. The development team always starts to develop a new launcher based on the latest stock launcher every time a new Android version is released (so basically every year). This way the app usually never gets past the alpha or beta builds till they already move on to start from scratch. I don’t understand their strategy.
Free - Lawnchair | Kvaesisto
Paid - Niagara LauncherShoutout for Niagara. High quality reliable launcher. Only switched away after 2+ years cuz I got a little bored of the interface
I got bored but then I noticed almost immediately how I spend so much extra time just navigating my phone on other launchers. So I switched back and then they released a wallpaper that has a fun cat in it and now he’s my home screen homey and I’m good
Show us the wallpaper!!!
I tried to upload a screenshot but it keeps throwing an error. Here’s a link to it from their web Site.
Funny enough i actually switched from niagara to kvaesisto
Well now I have to go look into this kvaesisto!
Edit: how do you find the interface? I looked at the photos and it looks very interesting, kind of has some Sesame type system wide search functionality?
For those interested: https://kvaesitso.mm20.de/
I used Niagara free for quite a while. It does have a fair few features locked behind the paywall, but it’s certainly usable.
Niagara’s free version is still pretty great too. I usually pay for apps but don’t want a subscription for my launcher, so I use it in free mode. Despite the limitations it’s methodology of getting you to the app you’re looking for as quickly as possible is a game changer. I don’t know if I’ll be able to go back to icons and folders + app drawer launchers haha
For me Hyperion ended up giving me the closest out of the box experience to what I wanted.
Kvaesisto has treated me wonderfully
Maybe also check out Total Launcher.
Seconding Total, that’s where I ended up after leaving Nova and trying a few. Very, very customisable, but a bit of a learning curve.
Agreed re how customisable it is. Can also back up to a file for easy transfer to your next phone etc.
This will be down voted, but I also tried a bunch of launchers and never found one I liked better than Nova. I ended up installing TrackerControl and Nova has its internet connection fully disabled. It doesn’t need Internet for any features I use, so I felt like this was a good compromise, personally. I ended up starting to block trackers in all my apps now because of it, so I see it as a net win.
i’m just using the stock launcher
since niagara can be buggy
neo launcher is the closest FOSS alternative
You can download the APK of Nova 7, which was the last version before the buyout. It’s perfectly clean.
Just don’t update it.
Plan to just keep using it myself until it’s no longer viable, at which point I’ll look for a launcher that hopefully reached feature parity.
TotalLauncher
Maybe not a popular reply, but if you’re already in Windows ecosystem, the Microsoft launcher is pretty impressive features-wise.
Nope. And since so far they’re doing nothing, Nova it is for the time being. There just isn’t anything remotely as customisable.
I haven’t found anything yet, Nova has always been the best. I’ve been using Nova since the early years like version 2 or something like that. When I heard they were going to be bought and uninstall went to vanilla Google launcher, and searched high and low for another launcher. I tried dozens over a few months and literally nothing was close to Nova. So here I am, typing this to you in an app that was launched through Nova…
Please, please, please someone make a good launcher.
I’ll probably try lawnchair again, but it isn’t nearly as good.
Anyone here not using an open source launcher after this announcement is seriously learning nothing from this. You are just trusting the next company that either already or eventually will go the same way. Like the dude mentioning Microsoft launcher as alternative, that one has branch analytics baked in as well as far as I remember.
Be aware that using open source doesn’t protect you completely from this, look at what happened to Simple Mobile tools, best install your open source applications from f-droid.
Do you have any good open source alternatives for Nova Launcher?
Of course, but when something like that happens to a popular app there will be an outcry. If you are not a tech person you might miss that, but I’d argue if you care about what launcher your phone has and you care about this issue to go foss you are probably the type of person who’d hear about it.
I use KISS launcher but there are many other options mentioned here that are also good. Yes, nothing is exactly like Nova. But lots of other stuff is good too.
Yes, nothing is exactly like Nova. But lots of other stuff is good too.
Then they aren’t good alternatives, they’re passable.
Seems crazy to me that the software that’s owned by an analytics company is also the one focused on giving the user the most customization options. None of the FOSS alternatives have the same mentality as Nova. They’re all focused more on minimalism, or evoking Pixel, or pushing a specific niche type of interface of their own design. None of them provide anywhere near as many tools to the user.
If I have to use a closed source app provided by an analytics company just to get a launcher that actually empowers the user, so be it. Maybe more of the FOSS alternatives could start taking note of why Nova is the most popular.
What happened to simple tools? And I downloaded them from F-Droid
They got sold (sorry for reddit link) https://www.reddit.com/r/SimpleMobileTools/comments/187w64x/simple_mobile_tools_bought_by_zipoapps/
Use the fossify forks now (also on f-droid)
I backed up the APK of the last “clean” version before the sale. I’m going to keep using it until some OS update breaks it.
You don’t have to do it! :)
One of the original maintainers of Simple Mobile Tools forked the project and he’s adding new features and fixing bugs.
The project is called Fossify and you can already download the apps from both Play store and F-Droid
I think they’re talking about Nova.
Ooops, sorry, my bad!
Same. I am surprised I’ve been able to use it for so long without any issues.
Please dont tell me I have to leave Niagara. :(
Depends how important some features are for you, e.g. read here https://help.niagaralauncher.app/article/20-sesame-integration
Right now its probably OK, but Nova was also OK for a while. If a FOSS launcher does this and is popular, it will be forked. Niagara won’t be forked.
Lawnchair is a fork of the original pixel launcher that gives some quality of life upgrades to an already good piece of software, like being able to remove the search bar, resizable / reshapable icons and fonts usw. Its also open source, so feel free to check out the github.
There is no app store release right now but they are working on it. I’ve used the alpha versions for two years now and it has worked fine so far.
I just made the switch after seeing this article.
Is there a way to get an icon to open the app drawer? Or am i forced to live with a gesture?
The choice gesture vs. nav button is usually part of android itself. In my case (pixel with therefor nearly stock android) its in settings -> system -> navigation mode (or something similar since its in german in my case). If you can’t find it, search for “navigation button your phone model”.
Edit: sorry, i just realized you meant the app drawer, not the overview of currently opened apps. I don’t know the answer to that.
Edit edit: ok i found something in lawnchairs settings. The last setting is called gestures. If you have navigation buttons enabled instead of nav gestures (see above) you could bind the home button to open the app drawer.
The last setting is called gestures. If you have navigation buttons enabled instead of nav gestures (see above) you could bind the home button to open the app drawer.
That would mean unbinding it from another feature. It feels kind of ridiculous that I have to devote my home button to something that should just be tappable on screen if three button navigation is being used.
Yeah I tried it too and that’s a major no go right there. The fact it’s based off pixel launcher is killing my interest out of the gate, but I at least hoped that it would provide the same degree of customization options and tools as Nova. Doesn’t look like it, and no ability to call the app drawer without swiping.
Frankly any app that pushes gestures as the default navigation method without respecting people that just want to use buttons and taps, I can’t say I’m interested.
Guess I’m sticking with Nova 7 until it just stops working.
I’ve used the alpha versions for two years now and it has worked fine so far.
They released a beta about a month ago.
https://lemmy.world/post/13864258
Edit: which your download link has. Just wanted to make sure you and others don’t use a 2 year old alpha instead.
But they promised that they won’t use the data for it 😜
They paid millions for it just for charity
I could believe them if they were a nonprofit. 😂
Having participated in many “charities”, you’d be a fool to believe an operation just because it is registered as a “not for profit”.
Look at the executive-pay, and if it is over 2x the cost-of-living, you’re looking at a money-funneling-to-executives scam, that is masquerading as a not-for-profit.
The amount of spine required to have real integrity, in this planet, is apparently greater than the amount of spine available in a human life?
Lawn chair is the main FOSS alternative.
Be aware that there is a play store version that is not updated (version 2) and a beta that is actively maintained (version14.2 now)
They are quite different.
Where is the beta and why isn’t it the main version?
The man dev quit the project and others are picking up the pieces. They might not have access to the Play Store account, or maybe they do. Either way, the new team has not produced a new final version yet. Just a string of alphas and betas. As of now the beta is the main version. It’s good enough for daily use.
Why is anything in the world the way it is?
Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear… Yeah.
This literally doesn’t answer the question at all. It’s just a snarky remark from someone who seems to think everyone else should be as privy to how all this works as they are.
Could you please link to the right place, then?
I looked at Droidify and only found an old unmaintained version.
You need to work on how you ask for things… This isn’t my product and I don’t work for you.
I don’t know if this is news to you, but the “then” on the end of your statement has some sharp edges on it and represents you as entitled (making you aware if that wasn’t your intention)
A little more grace goes a long way when you’re asking strangers for help on the internet, friend.
Thanks for the tip man 👍
Honestly, don’t care. Until it gets shitty (which it still has a good chance of doing so), I’ll continue to use it.
A launcher owned by an analytics company? In my OS owned by an ad company?
The way I see it, unless I’m at risk of having personally identifiable information leaked, ad companies can waste all the money they want on me. I don’t see anything they make anyway.
Me neither really. I don’t love this, but I think a lot of people misunderstand what the analytics tools are mainly used for. It’s not often that much to do with advertising, and it certainly isn’t about farming your unique information in a clandestine way. It’s about what’s happening with the app, what features are being used as an aggregate, and most importantly for tracking the crash rate of the app, and why it’s crashing.
I think this is more tied with advertising analytics, but I share the same opinion. I don’t love it, but it’s not a killer. The fediverse tends to attract a more idealistic and paranoid crowd, which I don’t think is reflective of how most people are.
Given for months now I keep randomly experiencing UI hangs requiring me to kill Nova, that day may have finally come…
I thought it was from Samsung, never crossed my mind it could be nova that is hanging. Sad days.
Hmm, I’ve had it happen once, thought it was odd. Are you on a Samsung too, like the other comment? How often does it happen?
Nope, Pixel 6 running Android 14. It’s highly variable but I’d say it happens… every two or three days, sometimes multiple times a day. To say it’s aggravating is putting it very mildly.
Ok, that is pretty bad. As mentioned, I’ve had it happen once. I use the app search function a lot, which I’ve set to the swipe up gesture, and it just stopped working that day. Had to find a way to force reset the launcher. Having that happen every 2-3 days to multiple times a day would be a dealbreaker for me.
Reaction from a lot of people seems as if Nova now has some kind of keylogger and some random dude from Nigeria will try to access your bank account.
Like I’ve said elsewhere, the fediverse tends to have a lot of paranoid zealots. It’s a bit offputting really.
Well damn. I’ve been on Nova launcher for years. Even bought prime and all that.
Damn, me too. This sucks, time to change.
You can stay on Nova 7, it’s not going to stop working. Nova 8 is what you want to avoid, so you just can’t let it update to a new version that will have all of the bullshit put in.
Obviously that’s not a permanent solution but there’s no reason to throw away Nova 7 right now if it’s works for you.
The last clean version was Nova 7.0.57
Install that APK, redownload the Nova prime app from Play store, they work together fine.
Oh man, I’m on 7.0.58…
Niagara is what I moved to from Nova. Less widget focused layout, but any app is literally 2 presses and one swipe away from the home screen.
I love Niagara. For me, it really eliminated distractions and stopped me from swiping mindlessly.
it was JULY 2022 and almost nothing seems to be changed
Fuck. Using nova kept me sane. Even though they say, nothing changes…it will. With an analytics company, if they spend that much on nova, they are either going to go behind a paywall, or start data mining the shit from every user.
Remember, if the product is free, then you’re the product
If a product is not free but is a digital service with a paid subscription you are also the product. They ain’t gonna stop data mining you b/c you give them 10 bucks a month.
Woah, seeing Nova launcher name with enshittification makes me trip down memory lane.
I remember using one of these launcher apps on my Jelly Bean 2013 lenovo phone, Nova Launcher app being one of them that felt good to me, though as time passes and more I delve into rooting and custom roms, I just stick to whatever launcher is included in the rom or just use stock launcher. Maybe I’m becoming old timer that need “it just functions, simple, and no bs” guy. Been using stock launcher on android since 2016.
If you aren’t paying, you’re the product.
Microsoft Windows addendum: even when you pay, you’re the product.
PS: I know this goes for more than M$. They’re just the easy target here on Lems.
I’ve paid for nova :(
Paid*
“Payed” is a nautical term, hence the spell check failure.
I payed them in scallops.
RIP 😭
They have a paid version of the Nova launcher. I am certainly not a lawyer, but it also looks like they have a pretty clear privacy policy https://novalauncher.com/privacy/
I don’t currently use it, but it is a nice alternative if they aren’t doing anything fishy.
Nova isn’t free.
What that means is Linux is spyware. So are pretty much every Foss project out there.
Except FOSS explicitly implies the user is free (as in freedom, not 0$), and the software isn’t a product or service, but a tool.
That line only applies when a non-free service or software that’s supposed to be meant for profit doesn’t have a clear money income. Don’t compare “oh how generous is google for giving me free email and drive for no shady reasons at all” to “i host my own email and cloud using foss projects”.
Also, windows is basically spyware with a bit of unoptimized OS on top and you still (should) pay for it.
it do be a dumb statement because it generalizes a lot but in propiertary software it msot often is true
Great point! Maybe I need to amend my statement to not include FOSS?
Well this fuckin sucks! I guess I’m switching back to the lame default launcher.
Switched to Niagara launcher (Pro version) about a year ago and now I cannot imagine using a phone with an traditional app drawer.
On the Google Play page data safety section, they seem to share and collect about as much data as Nova.
I figured as much considering their heavy ad spend on the play store. They pop up as the number one result as an ad for every launcher search I make.
I found an alternative called Olauncher.minimal af launcher. Play store says it collects and shares nothing, though I don’t know how easy it is to fool. It seems ok so far, though I’m not sure I really want a minimalist launcher.
If you use more than one widget it’s a terrible choice. I know they have stackable widgets, but it looks awful swiping with differing size widgets.
Put them in different folders?
Also using it since almost a year back i think now. But not pro. I can’t find a reason to pay that much for functionality I don’t really need even if I would pay to support the dev.
IMO the theming feature in Pro is worth it. Having all icons in the same style makes the app list way less distracting. And supporting the dev is a nice bonus too.
I am a person that really don’t care about icons. I wanted 2 widgets but since I switched I have learnt to live with just one of the two. I promise, if the price was halved i wouldn’t have blinked but as it is now as a subscription every year. Yeah, no I don’t use my phone that much.
Here’s an alternative that’s about 50% less expensive and not a subscription. Personally use it on KISS launcher and it’s basically perfect for my uses
I gotta check this out when I get some time.
Came here to mention Niagara. Been using it almost 5 years now and it’s perfect. Early on had some stuff that I missed, like folders or browser shortcuts, but the overall UI made up for it. But now? Flawless. Peerless. Just fucking, delightful.
I don’t even think about it until I see someone else use their launcher, and feel the need to give them a short Niagara demo.
I don’t understand why no phone company has considered making at least something similar as default. A vertical list of apps is way more intuitive than a mess of dozens of apps with too many colors. Now if switch to a new phone, I even have to check if it supports gestures for third-party launchers. Another a-hole feature of some brands (specifically Xiaomi). Using Niagara with the bottom navigation buttons makes no sense.
I use Smart Launcher. I’m surprised there aren’t more users of it.
I’ve been using it on all my phones and tablets for years now. Doesn’t matter what type of Android phone I use, they mostly end up being the same feel with Smart Launcher
Same, been using Smart Launcher since I heard they were getting bought. No lie, I miss Nova’s customizability, and some of Smart Launcher’s quirks annoy me; but I vastly prefer it to being data harvested. Smart Launcher is good enough for me, and leaps and bounds better than ANYTHING else I tried.
Same here. There are quirks by I think I’m really use to them now. I tried Nova, Lawnchair and some others over the years but I think my long term Smart Launcher still fits me like a glove.
Overall, Smart Launcher is great. The things that annoy me are mainly things like: Not being able to add multiple app screens and have home in the center, lack of gestures(compared to Nova), and there was also something to do with setting the wallpaper.
My only near dealbreaker is that it’s not open source.
I can’t wait to see what they come up with next, feature wise, though.
While you’re at it, check out their other product, Icon Pack Studio. It’s the last icon pack you’ll ever need.
Correction Outline icon pack is what I’ve been using. The Studio icon pack is pretty good. Thanks!
I love Outline
I will. I’ve been using the neon colored Azure icon pack for many years now. I could probably go for an update.
hey, a fellow IPS user! still the only app i bought the pro version of.
