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A developer who worked on Nova Launcher has confirmed layoffs. The company that acquired Nova Launcher has laid off nearly the entire team that worked on the popular launcher since its early days.
Layoffs in the Nova Launcher department confirmed
The Android OS ecosystem allows third-party launchers, and Nova Launcher remains one of the most downloaded. However, most of the development team maintaining Nova Launcher has been let go rather abruptly.
It is important to note that the Nova Launcher team hasn’t been singled out. The company that acquired the launcher has laid off more than 100 employees. It appears the Nova Launcher team may have been the one to be impacted the most.
Branch, the company that acquired Nova Launcher two years ago, has laid off many people working on the launcher
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Analytics firm Branch Metrics acquired Nova Launcher in 2022. The company gave the app’s founder Kevin Barry and other core staffers spots on their team. Additionally, Barry and his team had complete autonomy.
However, Nova’s director of customer relations, Cliff Wade, posted an announcement on Reddit confirming the layoffs. Wade and several others were part of the downsizing exercise.
The statement from Wade is surprising primarily because Barry had reportedly claimed that “Branch is different” when the company acquired Nova Launcher and retained its entire development team.
Is there a future for third-party launchers?
Nova Launcher was one of the most popular third-party launchers for Android devices. It works well on nearly all Android devices. Users have installed the launcher on smart TVs, Android TV boxes, tablets, and smartphones.
Nova Launcher is currently on version 8. Wade has indicated that the team will remain committed to releasing Nova Launcher 8.1. However, owing to the layoffs, the app’s future may have become uncertain.
Cliff has been fired from the Nova Launcher team by Branch
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It is important to note that third-party launchers once offered what Google’s default Android launcher lacked. However, Google and several device manufacturers have steadily added functions and features to the native launcher.
Steady development of the default launcher has significantly reduced the need for Nova Launcher or other similar apps. Moreover, Google has been steadily denying access to certain core Android features such as gesture navigation. This has significantly hampered user experience while using third-party launchers.
With Branch Metrics laying off several members of the development team, the future of Nova Launcher seems uncertain. However, Barry has indicated that he is still employed, which suggests Nova Launcher may survive.