Nova Launcher added Facebook and Google Ads tracking
172 points by celsoazevedo 6 hours ago | 77 comments
  • celsoazevedo 6 hours ago |
    For those still using Nova Launcher (custom launcher for Android), it seems that it's owned by a new company and the latest update comes with the Facebook Ads and Google AdMob SDKs and require extra permissions.

    8.1.6:

    - Branch (analytics)

    - Bugsnag (crash report)

    8.2.4:

    - Facebook Ads (advertisement)

    - Google AdMob (advertisement)

    - Branch (analytics)

    - Bugsnag (crash reporting)

    - Google CrashLytics (crash reporting)

    - Google Firebase Analytics (analytics)

    • fireflash38 4 hours ago |
      Any good alternatives people are using? I've used Nova for absolutely ages
      • canthonytucci 4 hours ago |
        Lawnchair is not as fancy but it works
        • Fire-Dragon-DoL 4 hours ago |
          It doesn't support adding pages to the home,sadly
          • notpushkin 3 hours ago |
            Did you mean tabs (to the drawer)? You totally can add new pages to the home – try moving an icon beyond the screen border.
            • Fire-Dragon-DoL 2 hours ago |
              No I mean that if in Brave I say "add this page to the home", the launcher gives an error
              • GlitchRider47 an hour ago |
                That's strange, that hasn't happened to me. Maybe a reinstall might fix the problem? I use it on a Pixel 8A
                • Fire-Dragon-DoL 40 minutes ago |
                  Uh interesting. I'm on Pixel 8A too. Could be! I'll give it another shot
              • notpushkin an hour ago |
                Ah, pages like in webpages. Gotcha.

                It’s interesting, Lawnchair works totally fine with these “app action” 1×1 widgets, and Firefox can add website shortcuts without any problem for me. I’ll try it in Brave a bit later.

        • garciansmith 4 hours ago |
          Lawnchair is good. I just really want app drawer tabs, the only reason I've stuck with Nova.
      • sgc 4 hours ago |
        I switched from Nova to Smart Launcher a couple years ago because it allowed me better customization of app groups - although I did need to work on the config a bit. I like it.
      • dcl 4 hours ago |
        How much am I missing out by using the standard launcher my Pixel comes with? I haven't played with different launchers since the Nexus 4 and Android 2/3 (I think).
        • toast0 4 hours ago |
          I don't like the stock launcher because I can't remove the search bar and I never use the search bar. Nova feels like a no nonsense launcher that does what I need. I think last time it came up, the recommended option was missing something for me so I stayed with Nova, but the writing is on the wall.

          Checked again and I don't see a way to get a button to show the app drawer on Lawnchair, and I don't want to use a gesture, so that's going to be hard to use.

          • array_key_first 3 hours ago |
            I switched to Nova for the same reason. I paid for it, too. I pay and donate for good software all the time, but this is another sober reminder to never pay for proprietary software.
        • Fuzzwah 2 hours ago |
          For me the advantage of nova is increasing the density of app icons able to be displayed on the home screen and app drawer.

          I run with a 9x7 home screen grid and 8x6 app drawer.

          This allows me to have a weather widget with a large clock and an excellent calendar widget called Todo Agenda displayed while still allowing me to have all my apps accessible on one screen.

      • spondyl 4 hours ago |
        As a relatively new convert back to Android, I've been using Niagra Launcher and enjoying it.
      • planetafro 4 hours ago |
        I use Niagra. So good once you get used to it.
        • cromka 3 hours ago |
          3. Types of Data collected Among the types of Personal Data that this Application collects, by itself or through the listed Data Processors, there are:

          Unique device identifiers Approximate geographic position (city level) IDs (package names) from installed apps Usage Data Cookies

          Oh boy...

          • GlitchRider47 an hour ago |
            Yeah.. I used to use Niagra because it really is a great launcher but I don't like the data collection. A great FOSS alternative is Kvaesitso which doesn't have the exact same layout but it is search based. They also managed to implement a native search that in my opinion is better than Sesame.
      • flexagoon 3 hours ago |
        Kvaesito is a great search-focused FOSS launcher
      • Abishek_Muthian 3 hours ago |
        I haven't used an android launcher over a decade, stock LineageOS launcher works well for me i.e. to open app drawer and to click on apps.

        What do you folks use 3rd party launchers for?

        • ipcress_file 3 hours ago |
          I've been using Nova Launcher to mimic webOS for almost 10 years. I might be slightly too resistant to change!
        • mkozlows 3 hours ago |
          For not using the default Samsung launcher, which sucks.
          • imp0cat 27 minutes ago |
            Nowadays, even the default Samsung launcher is very customizable and usable. Obviously it's no Nova, but it's not bad.
        • SkiFire13 an hour ago |
          I've been using Nova Launcher since ~1year (after using it like 10 years ago) because Pixel Launcher didn't support double tap to sleep
      • kenrick95 3 hours ago |
        I switched to KISS Launcher several years back and had been loving it. I like the philosophy of search-based launcher. This way, if I don't actively search for an app, I won't be distracted into opening one
        • yummybrainz 3 hours ago |
          KISS launcher is excellent. I've been using it for years now and would never go back to any other style of launcher.

          The only improvement I could imagine is supporting multiple screens of widgets (i.e. swiping left/right or scrolling up/down).

          For folks interested in checking it out:

          Website: https://kisslauncher.com/ Source: https://github.com/Neamar/KISS Store: https://f-droid.org/packages/fr.neamar.kiss/

        • DanOpcode 3 hours ago |
          I made the switch to KISS some time ago. Really like it! I haven't missed anything. Simple and does the job. No distractions.
        • AlbinoDrought 39 minutes ago |
          I did this as well when the previous Nova launcher news came out. It took maybe a day to get used to, but I like it much more now - I have nothing to organize, I just access what I want to use instead. It feels natural.
        • t0bia_s 17 minutes ago |
          KISS launcher user for about 5 years and never looking back. Search line for everything is actually faster then browsing list of icons.
      • Krutonium 3 hours ago |
        I'm using Evie Launcher, but a really old version from just before the developer shut down the project and later removed it from the store. If you look today, you'll find a fairly convincing imposter that loves spamming you with ads, from a different developer.

        The APK is at least 6 years old now.

      • dcreater 3 hours ago |
        Its ok to just stay on v7 no? Thats what im doing.
      • BLKNSLVR 3 hours ago |
        I moved to Lawnchair when I recently-ish migrated to GrapheneOS. I can't remember why I didn't go with Nova Launcher again, might have been related to the permissions required.

        Lawnchair has fewer options, ie. is simpler, but I haven't, in practice, noticed any memorable differences.

      • flax 2 hours ago |
        I've been mostly happy with Action launcher. It has the few features I really liked from Nova that are missing from pixel launcher: I can make my home screens scroll in a circular/infinite manner, I can remove the search bar and the google news feed or whatever they call the left page, I can set more than one page in the dock.

        Unfortunately, the app list page isn't quite as configurable. There are folders rather than tabs, and there's an extra click necessary to search by app name. Overall, it does the job.

      • Aluminum0643 2 hours ago |
        I've been using Octopi Launcher

        https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.otp.octopi...

        • raybb 2 hours ago |
          Do you know if this, or any other launcher for that matter, works well on the latest Android for Pixels? Ever dang launcher I try (Nova included) has this horrible problem where at some point during the day the app launcher becomes a wasteland of blanked out apps with no names and no order. Only fix is to restart the phone. It got a little better with Android 16 but not much.
          • JoshTriplett an hour ago |
            I use Octopi on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Works great, rock solid, zero issues.
        • breput 39 minutes ago |
          Thank you! I had looked at several recommended launchers and none were real Nova Launcher replacements. I randomly saw your comment and was intrigued, especially since I hadn't seen a lot of sources mentioning Octopi Launcher as a suitable option.

          It is the perfect Nova Launcher replacement. The UI and features feels like a more polished Nova and transitioning to Octopi is such an intuitive process.

      • Erenay09 2 hours ago |
        I am using "Minimo Launcher". I have an OLED display. So its using less battery. Also it's open source.

        https://github.com/VaibhavLakhera/minimo-launcher

  • another_twist 4 hours ago |
    Nova drained my erstwhile Android phones battery. Not sure if this has gotten any better.
  • rationalist 4 hours ago |
    Thankfully I am using GrapheneOS, so I never gave the app network permissions. I will look for a new launcher anyways now.

    Thanks for sharing.

  • ipcress_file 3 hours ago |
    I'm still using an old version with the network access blocked. I'll use it until it stops working.

    If anyone knows of another launcher with app drawer tabs, let me know.

  • Fej 3 hours ago |
    Do older versions of Nova have any security flaws which preclude using them?

    I've been using this app for ages and it's been essentially feature-complete for several years. A part of me wants to switch launchers for no other reason than "it is supported and not tracking me", but it is possible for software to be finished, and I believe Nova falls into that category. If there's no meaningful vulnerabilities in it, there's really no reason for me to switch away, at least not immediately.

  • Atlas-Marbles 3 hours ago |
    Plenty of great open-source launchers on F-Droid.
    • DanOpcode 3 hours ago |
      Good advice!
  • aspbee555 3 hours ago |
    I have been trying to figure out why my phone has beep going stupid and laggy with the launcher lately, now I know why
  • blcknight 3 hours ago |
    That’s disappointing. My primary launcher on my eink devices since it works so well on them.
    • DanOpcode 3 hours ago |
      What devices are those? A phone with eink?
      • blcknight 6 minutes ago |
        There are many android devices with eink screens. Mostly Chinese brands. BOOX, Hisense, etc. some phones. Some ereaders.
  • unethical_ban 3 hours ago |
    At least in Graphene, you can block the app from having network access, but stock launcher in Graphene has worked well for me.

    Damn these privacy-invading leeches.

  • Semaphor 2 hours ago |
    Well, that sucks. When the sale was announced, I tried several launchers, free and paid, and none of them were as good as Nova :/ Guess I’ll do another round.
    • franciscop 2 hours ago |
      Please update here if you find any good alternative? I'm stuck in the same place
      • jayknight 2 hours ago |
        Lawnchair has been good enough for me, get a recent development build, they don't release very often.
        • colordrops 2 hours ago |
          Lawnchair is the best open source launcher IMHO. It's feature reach but it does have one problem: the defaults are the opposite of sane lol.
          • E39M5S62 9 minutes ago |
            I just switched to Lawnchair - took me quite a while to replicate the minimal look/feel I had with Nova. Thanks for recommending it!
      • troyvit an hour ago |
        I've been having fun with Kvaesitso after it was recommended here. There are some things I'd change, but it's nice.

        https://github.com/MM2-0/Kvaesitso

      • JoshTriplett an hour ago |
        I highly recommend Octopi launcher. Simple, does exactly what it should. Works great on foldables, as well.
      • Semaphor 13 minutes ago |
        I’ll be trying out Hyperion now as default launcher, list of stuff I checked quickly:

        Kvaesitso (FLOSS) and AIO: Different style of launcher that I don’t want, so out.

        Action: Felt weird to use, didn’t find a setting for auto search in app drawer

        Smart launcher: The most expensive one at 25€, and no proper app drawer search either.

        Lawnchair (FLOSS): Annoying animations, widgets don’t work properly (many widgets require Yx2 sizing that should work as Yx1)

        Octopi: Slightly better widgets than lawnchair, but still sizing issues. Without that I’d probably have gone with it first.

        Hyperion: This is what I’ll be testing for now. The only Nova feature I’m missing is showing recently installed apps in the drawer, but that’s extremely minor. Apparently support is bad and updates rare, but neither is an issue for me.

    • mkka 2 hours ago |
      Smart Launcher is the one I settled on after my last round of testing. Not perfect, but closer than most.
    • calderwoodra 2 hours ago |
      I've been using Niagara for a few years and I love it.
      • Semaphor 18 minutes ago |
        Completely different style of launcher though.
  • tholman 2 hours ago |
    For those out of the know, Nova Launcher is an Android home screen replacement... so hits home when the root of your phone existence gets shook piece by piece.
    • breput 30 minutes ago |
      There have been enshitification clouds looming on the horizon for Nova Launcher for so long, I think many people (including me) were hoping it would just never happen.

      That said, check out Octopi Launcher. I installed it for the first time tonight[0] and it is exactly what you are looking for - a smoother, better Nova Launcher.

      [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46688336

  • Daz912 2 hours ago |
    What's the problem exactly?
    • tlhunter 2 hours ago |
      The homescreen may one day contain ads.
  • mochsalman 2 hours ago |
    I initially thought that switching to a lighter launcher like Nova would make my phone-apps launching faster. However, I soon realized that what I actually needed was something to boost my productivity, so I switched to a launcher with fewer distractions, like Yantra Launcher (terminal-based), which I've been using ever since.
    • ff2400t an hour ago |
      I highly recommend you try Niagara launcher. It's the only non-grid based launcher I have tried that has actually been worth the little learning curve.
  • pveierland 2 hours ago |
    That sucks. I've been running the paid version for years - however it's clear that it hasn't been properly maintained for a while and it suffers from sporadic crashes.

    Any recommendations for launchers that are functionally similar? The launchers mentioned in this thread so far are quite different.

    • GlitchRider47 2 hours ago |
      Lawnchair is similar, but it does have some bugs that they're still working through.

      If you're not set in the traditional page/app drawer launcher, I'd recommend Kvaesitso. It's a FOSS search based launcher. A bit of a learning curve but it is very performant and feature rich.

  • bastard_op an hour ago |
    I've used nova on every android I've had since it came out to current, and when the former owner/dev warned people, I switched to lawnchair and didn't look back. Sounded like shenanigans and time to pull the ripcord on nova. RIP (not in ad/malware)
  • kristopolous an hour ago |
    There's so many suggestions here that are just dark pattern buy screens.

    I can't help but think there's bots

    • RobotToaster 42 minutes ago |
      At this point I just assume any recommendation on here that isn't for FOSS is a shill/bot.
  • breput an hour ago |
    I was a 10+ year long Nova Launcher user and knew this day was coming after the sale and layoffs[0][1]...

    This evening I at looked several replacement launchers, such as Lawnchair and even the stock Pixel launcher again, but Octopi Launcher[2] is the more modern, more refined Nova replacement that you are looking for.

    It was a very easy, natural transition process from Nova - all of the Nova features that I used were there (unlike Lawnchair), such as swipe up/down on icons to perform different actions. And little things like folder options, icon placement, and widget handling are SO much nicer on Octopi compared to Nova. Staggeringly better.

    I took a screenshot of each home screen page, set Octopi as the new default launcher, and was back to my previous configuration but with a significantly improved visual appearance, in about 15 minutes. It's a no-brainer upgrade from Nova.

    The Google Play install is free and basically unlimited, but there is an unobtrusive "Buy Me A Coffee" type button that allows you to donate either $1 or $3 to unlock some eye candy, which I did, but mostly just wanting to support the developer.

    [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45170000

    [1] https://www.androidpolice.com/exclusive-cliff-wade-nova-laun...

    [2] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.otp.octopi...

    • Semaphor 9 minutes ago |
      I liked it, but when I added a 4x1 widget (meteoblue forecast), that didn’t properly resize to the size available. Wasn’t a problem for Hyperion or Nova, was worse for Lawnchair.
  • tonyhart7 41 minutes ago |
    does anyone know open source launcher that actually good ????
    • ckardaris 11 minutes ago |
      I am very satisfied with KISS launcher[1]. I have been using it for a while now. It's simple and gets out of the way.

      [1] https://kisslauncher.com/