In a significant shift for the popular Android application, Nova Launcher is now under the ownership of Swedish company Instabridge. This acquisition follows a period of stagnation after Branch, an analytics firm, bought the launcher in July 2022 and subsequently reduced its development team, leaving only its founder, Barry, involved.
Instabridge aims to maintain Nova Launcher in a functional state, focusing on ongoing maintenance rather than extensive new features. The company plans to address bugs and ensure the app remains compatible with modern Android versions. However, it is also exploring ways to create a sustainable business model, which may include introducing advertising in the free version of Nova. Additionally, higher pricing tiers could be implemented to support development costs.
Despite promises to keep Nova Prime ad-free, the pricing for this version will decrease to $3.99, and existing Prime licenses will be honored. Nevertheless, users might not receive new features going forward. Concerns have been raised regarding the introduction of tracking for Facebook and Google Ads, suggesting that ads could become a reality for Nova Launcher in the future.