Nova Launcher has been acquired by analytics company Branch
Nova Launcher is easily among thebest Android launchersfor power users and personalization enthusiasts alike. The app’s developers recently pulled the wraps off theNova Launcher 8.0 betawith its redesigned settings menu and Material You dynamic theming. But now we’re asking new questions about the project’s future, as we get word that Nova Launcher and its associated app, Sesame Universal Search, have been acquired by Branch, a mobile links and analytics company.
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Barry likens Branch needing Nova Launcher to Google needing its Pixel devices but reassures users that the original team remains in complete control, steering development efforts for Nova Launcher and Sesame Search. The team promises that Nova won’t devolve into a run-of-the-millAndroid launcherwith subscription-style paywalls, intrusive tracking, and s. The monetization model also won’t be changed significantly, and Nova Launcher Prime will still be a one-time purchase to unlock all the advanced features. Moreover, most of the new Branch-enabled features would be opt-in and completely optional.
Longtime users may understandably feel concerned Branch could farm data off Nova’s users, thanks to the level of access and system privileges the app gets. The announcement attempts to allay these fears and concerns voiced onReddit. While identifying Branch’s interest in using Nova to provide “research, development, expertise, and feedback,” Barry is clear you’ll still be able to opt out of contributing to statistics.
Presently, Nova is reliant on media coverage about stable and well-implemented feature improvements to lure new users who could purchase Prime. Branch’s involvement could lead to steadier cash flow which fuels development effort, ultimately giving us more frequent releases featuring smaller changes, instead of piling them all into bigger releases with high-profile announcements.
Additionally, Barry says Nova may finally engage in A/B testing for feature and design changes — a practice he has avoided until now. Hinting at post-acquisition features making their way to Nova, he laments that indie developers (like himself) cannot forge relationships with big tech firms and other apps to enhance “microresults” in Nova search and Sesame Search beyond a threshold. Since such relationships are right up Branch’s alley, we believe it means Sesame and Nova’s search features could deliver better granular search results through more app integrations in due course.
As a longtime Nova user myself, though, I remain cautiously optimistic about the Branch deal. Companies often say nothing changes besides the ownership, but eventually, new partners influence decisions and products change… usually for the worse. In the announcement, Barry agrees, but given his focused and continuous development efforts over the last decade, this acquisition might just be the shot in the arm Nova Launcher needs to scale new peaks.
The Nova 8.0.2 beta app will soon roll out to give users a peek at our first Branch-enabled features, including on-device search for shortcuts and contacts.
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