Nova Launcher has found a new owner. After months of worrying it might fade away, the popular Android home-screen app has been acquired by Swedish company Instabridge from Branch.
Instabridge says it will keep maintaining Nova Launcher but won’t rush into feature bloat. The company plans to prioritize performance and polish over rapid additions, while evaluating advertising in the free build.
New stewardship, familiar priorities
Instabridge is not a smartphone newcomer. The company sells eSIMs worldwide, provides credentials to more than 20 million Wi‑Fi hotspots, and runs a data‑efficient web browser and its own ad‑supported launcher that trades ads for a monthly data allowance.
Instead of overhauling Nova Launcher, Instabridge says it will focus on keeping the app fast and reliable. That marks a contrast with fears that the unmaintained launcher would lose features and stagnate.
Ads and trackers in the free build
Instabridge acknowledges it is assessing ad placements for Nova’s free tier. The app’s codebase showed evidence after a recent update of trackers tied to Facebook Ads and Google AdMob.
The company promises Nova Prime, the paid version, will remain ad-free.
The open source future is still undecided
Releasing Nova Launcher as open source has been part of the story. Branch had previously promised to open the code to the project’s original developer but instead sold the app.
Before leaving, original developer Kevin Barry prepared a cleaned Nova 8.1 codebase intended for open use. Instabridge has not yet decided whether to adopt that plan.
That leaves a likely outcome: the app could split into two branches. One would be an open Nova 8.1 and the other a closed Nova 9 maintained under Instabridge’s control.
