Nova Launcher’s new proprietor would possibly supply a model with advertisements

Final 12 months, Nova Launcher founder and sole developer Kevin Barry introduced he had left Department Metrics, Nova’s guardian firm on the time — which adopted an announcement from 2024 that just about everybody engaged on the venture had been laid off. However the launcher is getting new life: in a weblog publish on Tuesday, the Swedish firm Instabridge, which makes an app that helps folks connect with Wi-FI hotspots, introduced it has acquired Nova Launcher.

“Nova will not be shutting down,” in keeping with Instabridge. “Our instant focus is straightforward: maintain Nova steady, suitable with fashionable Android, and actively maintained.” Nevertheless, Instabridge says it’s “evaluating advert based mostly choices” for the free model of the launcher.” However the latest replace for Nova Launcher has trackers for Fb Adverts and Google AdMob in its code and customers on Reddit have already reported seeing advertisements, as reported by Android Authority.

If advertisements are added to the launcher, the paid expertise, Nova Launcher Prime, will “stay advert free.”

Instabridge can be “actively evaluating” open sourcing Nova. When asserting his departure in September, Barry stated that he had been “requested to cease engaged on Nova Launcher and the open sourcing effort” though a former Department CEO stated publicly that “If Kevin have been to ever go away, it’s contracted that the code can be open sourced and put within the palms of the neighborhood.”

“Open sourcing a product responsibly includes licensing, safety, construct tooling, contribution workflow, and trademark stewardship,” Instabridge says. “We do not need a call to share but, however we can be clear as soon as we do.

Barry, Instabridge, and Department didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.