I recommend Kvaesitso, very snappy with lots of functionality.
Nova Launcher gets a new owner and... ads
Submitted 6 hours ago by ardi60@reddthat.com to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.androidauthority.com/nova-launcher-acquisition-ads-update-3633871/
Comments
ogeist@lemmy.world 20 minutes ago
KneeTitts@lemmy.world 3 minutes ago
Am I just not seeing it or do they not seem to allow icons on the desktop?
K1nsey6@lemmy.world 16 minutes ago
That’s my second favorite after Smart Launcher
oopsgodisdeadmybad@lemmy.zip 49 minutes ago
Fuck. I bought this forever ago, either for my Droid 2 or my Galaxy S3. Skipped it on my first Pixel and came back on the Pixel 7.
Haven’t really heard any talk about it, didn’t know about the owner/dev drama until seeing some comments here.
Haven’t noticed any ads myself yet, but maybe that’s a “coming soon” thing.
Time to go launcher shopping again. This thread mentioned Lawnchair and Niagara, so I’ll check those out first.
frongt@lemmy.zip 6 hours ago
They got a new owner years ago. No one should still be using it. Lawnchair has been great for me.
Damage@feddit.it 5 hours ago
CubitOom@infosec.pub 4 hours ago
You want to use one of the much more recent nightly or beta builds.
Godric@lemmy.world 4 hours ago
I ducked off the Nova train with their fishy new owners a few months ago. My one complaint about Lawnchair is that the search function is slower and less effective, otherwise it’s great!
ThunderWhiskers@lemmy.world 4 hours ago
If anyone is looking to try something new - I really enjoyed Waterfall after dropping Nova.
Dran_Arcana@lemmy.world 1 hour ago
+1 for Niagra. It takes a few days to get used to but it’s the launcher every power user didn’t know they wanted. Lifetime purchase options and a very responsive/passionate dev
IronKrill@lemmy.ca 58 minutes ago
Seconded. Looks good and I’ve found browsing by letter is way faster than the traditional folders (although you can still use folders with premium). I bought the upgrade after a few months.
extrahazmat@lemmy.zip 4 hours ago
Made the switch last year. Have had no issues,especially now that you can do folders.
JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca 1 hour ago
But I don’t wanna redesign my nice app tray and home screen. Can I just never update it?
Evil_Incarnate@sopuli.xyz 45 minutes ago
That’s my plan…
kazerniel@lemmy.world 42 minutes ago
Thanks for this post, I quickly turned off auto-updates 👀
I only started using it half a year ago, but it was still the best from all the launchers I’ve tried 😔
northernlights@lemmy.today 2 hours ago
This used to be my favorite piece of software I paid for. Then… 💩
NovaTheFluf@piefed.blahaj.zone 6 hours ago
I’m getting really tired of companies pissing all over my name!
thisbenzingring@lemmy.today 5 hours ago
time to go super…
WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 4 hours ago
Shouldn’t have tried to disassemble Johnny 5.
edible_funk@sh.itjust.works 3 hours ago
No disassemble!
edible_funk@sh.itjust.works 3 hours ago
No disassemble!
phoenixz@lemmy.ca 4 hours ago
Thats why you want open source software, its the only software you can trust, its the only software that won’t fuck you over
victorz@lemmy.world 2 hours ago
Until these mfs relicense their sht and we have to fork
Grass@sh.itjust.works 1 hour ago
at least forking is an option you can choose, and someone else with decent reputation in the foss community will probably also do it before you, instead of just accepting being fucked up the ass with no lube for the third time this week
blinfabian@feddit.nl 43 minutes ago
i like lawnchair launcher :3
Perspectivist@feddit.uk 6 hours ago
It already had a new owner which is why I stopped using it years ago.
zecg@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
Up until today I was happy with turning off updates (as a precaution) and restricting Nova’s internet access (all phone network access is proxied through Rethink+), but this made me switch to Lawnchair and leave a 1-star review for both the free version and the paid upgrade token.
skribe@piefed.social 6 hours ago
I just switched to Octopi. For me, it’s an almost perfect replacement. Plus it’s a local developer.
LedgeDrop@lemmy.zip 4 hours ago
Is this open source?
(I couldn’t find it)
banana@lemy.nl 4 hours ago
If you want FOSS, check KISS launcher. Its feature rich, light on resources, and available through F-droid.
jotaro__@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
Can confirm, only one that had feature parity for most of my nova setup
skribe@piefed.social 5 hours ago
I showed my wife the before and after of my home pages. She said, “They’re the same.”
Happy.
nerdschleife@lemmy.zip 5 hours ago
Awesome app, replaced Lawnchair. Development simply moved too slowly on LC
winni@piefed.social 2 hours ago
is it new? cant find it on the launcher comparison table https://grabster.notion.site/6671f3b62d8043c4aaaae22a241e3f05?v=91d9b664887643298f85fe18044d3560
kazerniel@lemmy.world 21 minutes ago
thanks for this table!
Nova is rated as advanced customisability, and in this table Bridge Launcher is the only FLOSS launcher that has advanced customisability and is not discontinued, but based on the app page it’s basically a programming platform, not an actual launcher :c
mintiefresh@piefed.social 3 hours ago
Seems like all of our concerns have come true. I’m glad I switched earlier when the main dev bounced.
Been using Smart Launcher and haven’t looked back.
I also liked Niagara too.
K1nsey6@lemmy.world 18 minutes ago
Upvote for Smart Launcher
KneeTitts@lemmy.world 1 minute ago
Smart Launcher
Is it OSS? If not I wont bother anymore
phar@lemmy.world 2 hours ago
I dropped them back then too. I have been using lawn chair and I really like it. Could have a few more options but still quite nice
CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 hour ago
I wanted to like lawn chair and gave them an honest try but so many features I have come to rely on weren’t quite there.
I realize that they were designed as a replacement of pixel’s launcher but still… I would have loved to keep using them.
I am now using a paid version of Smart Launcher and praying to God that they won’t do what Nova did.
Gaja0@lemmy.zip 2 hours ago
theuniqueone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 hours ago
That’s capitalism we all know consumers demand adds overloading everything. /s
_haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 4 hours ago
I ditched them years ago after they got bought out the first time.
whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.works 6 hours ago
Wow, I got scared, I thought that was the one I’m using but I switched to Niagara Launcher long ago
Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 2 hours ago
Yeah same here. Text based launcher really has helped me put phone down more which is great.
zipsglacier@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
I first found out about Niagara on a thread like this a couple of years ago. It’s great!!!
harrys_balzac@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 hours ago
I switched to Niagara a few months ago and bought it. It’s been working great for me. No regrats.
passepartout@feddit.org 6 hours ago
Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 4 hours ago
Does a launcher need network access at all?
ilillilillilillililli@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
It doesn’t. I’ve also disabled network access to Nova years ago (GrapheneOS FTW). I’m gonna go ahead and disable updates for Nova and try to fully commit to switching to Lawnchair.
DamienGramatacus@lemmy.world 2 hours ago
I switched to Action Launcher years ago and have been very happy with it.
schwim@piefed.zip 4 hours ago
Dumped Nova as soon as the sellout was announced. Replaced it with Octopi, which I found to be better anyways.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.otp.octopilauncher&hl=en_US&pli=1
JohnnyMac@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
I switched to SmartLauncher about 4 months ago and have not looked back. It’s fine for what I need.
dimjim@sh.itjust.works 5 hours ago
Same here, I jumped ship as soon as they got a new owner. SmartLauncher has been fantastic so far.
uairhahs@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
SmartLauncher meant I had to make some changes to how I use my launcher, but in the long run it’s miles better for usability. Never looking back.
HisArmsOpen@crust.piefed.social 5 hours ago
I’m glad that the original developers have made some money. I’m more glad that the new owners will lose all that good will, trust and activity. At the risk of sounding too much like Picard,……. “make it so”
eightys3v3n@lemmy.ca 4 hours ago
I stopped auto-updates when the last death happened. Now I’m exploring Lawnchair.
MoonRaven@feddit.nl 2 hours ago
Bought it so many years ago. Moved to action launcher and since that was abandoned, I’m now using lynx launcher which works perfectly for me.
Curious_Canid@piefed.ca 3 hours ago
If they stick with ads only for unpaid use, I’m okay with that. Software authors need to make a living.
Overall, I’m happy to see Nova Launcher getting support again. I’ve tried a half-dozen other launchers without finding one that really does everything I want.
SendMePhotos@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
I switched from nova to Niagara a few years back and after the break in period, I love it.
Baguette@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 hours ago
Also swapped to Niagara a few years back and paid for the pro license last year or so
Been pretty worth, though I kinda miss the customization options of using kwlp+nova
Mihies@programming.dev 3 hours ago
AFAIK the app is the same in both free and paid case. Which doesn’t necessarily mean paid version gets the adds as well, but it’s more likely the case. 🤷♂️
woelkchen@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
Luckily I bought the prime version in 2018 or so for a few cents. Means I only have to configure Lawnchair when I get a new phone. Win for laziness.
sentient_loom@sh.itjust.works 4 hours ago
Damn. Time to get rid of nova launch.
carrylex@lemmy.world 1 hour ago
Onec again the “Everything that’s not FOSS will turn to shit at one point or another” theorem proves true.
ransomwarelettuce@lemmy.world 52 minutes ago
And if a FOSS project turns into shit a fork will come up.
One perfect example was simple apps acquisition. New owners turned it a ad ridden mess, fossify apps fork came to the rescue.