Everyone uses an Android launcher, but with a few exceptions, most OEM launchers don't allow you to freely customize key user experience elements, like grid size, like a custom launcher does. Along the way, you'll come across many fan favorites, but one of the oldest and most well-known names is Kevin Barry's Nova Launcher. But Nova's owner, Branch Metrics, announced company-wide layoffs, putting a damper on plans.
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After some cuts across departments, as of Thursday the Nova team was down to just one person: original creator Kevin Barry. The sudden shakeup also led to the departure of the company's two consumer-facing executives, Rob Wainwright and Cliff Wade. Cliff spoke to Android Police about his thoughts on the future of Nova Launcher, his career plans in light of the events, and his ideas for a Nova Launcher Discord server that he owns and manages.
9 Years of Passion
I was there almost from day one.
Kevin created Nova and released the first build in 2011, and the app grew steadily. Cliff Wade says he was just one user of the app until Kevin brought him on as a contractor to the Nova core team in November 2015.
Kevin and Nova have literally changed mine and my family's life in so many ways.
This continued, the app continued to grow and was acquired by Branch Metrics in early 2022. The new owners allowed Kevin, Cliff and Rob to retain full control of the app's development, although Cliff's customer relations role remained contractual. Branch made him a full-time employee at the end of April this year.
Fired within 5 minutes
Tell a horrific experience
Layoffs are unpredictable, but they were even more so given that Cliff's user-facing role as director of customer relations had been converted to full-time status just four months prior. Recounting the events of August 7, Cliff said the company unexpectedly scheduled a 15-minute Zoom meeting for 12:15 pm ET titled “Important Sync.” Cliff recalled this was odd, as Branch never held meetings on Wednesdays.
During the conference call, the executives loudly recounted how tough the day had been for the company, before telling Cliff, “Your role at Branch is being impacted.” The five-minute meeting put an end to nearly nine years of passionate efforts to please Nova users. Cliff then posted a statement on the Nova Launcher Discord server, which garnered a lot of attention. Kevin then joined and issued an official Nova update, confirming that he was the only Branch employee from the original team of 12 still involved with the app.
What's next for Nova Launcher?
Many things are uncertain
While Kevin has publicly stated his intention to release the long-awaited Nova 8.1 update in the stable channel, Cliff worries about whether the branch will allow him the time to work on it. “I hope Kevin will continue working on Nova, but it's very difficult as there is no one else on the team who can help us.” Cliff recalls being inundated with over 150 emails from Nova users every day, and even more after each new release or bug discovery. Now that Kevin is the only one left on the team, customer support may be all but nonexistent.
I don't know if Branch will hire new people to replace us, it's up to them as they have full authority.
Because Nova has been Kevin's gift from the beginning, Cliff says, “There's a chance that Nova will live on. Kevin's been doing it alone for 11 years, so there's a chance that it could go back to that state.” But Cliff isn't so sure, because Branch has committed resources to new ideas for Nova that would be difficult to execute at a reasonable pace on his own.
Where does Kevin Barry plan to take Nova?
There isn't much room for innovation
There's no question that Nova is mature in terms of features, and since many users love the launcher that combines Android 10-11 style with Material Design elements, one might say that there isn't much left for Kevin to do, but anyone who knows the potential of this app would vehemently disagree, knowing all its untapped potential.
While Kevin has been vocal about “reducing the scope” of changes in upcoming updates, Cliff anxiously speculates that “Branch will overwork Kevin on Branch-related things and not give him much time for Nova, or Kevin will get overwhelmed with everything Branch is asking of him and quit.”
Branch may want Kevin to leave on his own accord, but given all he's done to build the launcher into what it is today, it would almost certainly be an incredibly difficult thing for him to do and would feel like cutting off a part of his very existence. For Branch and Nova users around the world, Kevin Barry's exit could be the final nail in Nova's coffin.
The coming times of trial
Reiterating his love for the app and its passionate customization community, Cliff said, “If Nova development is discontinued or shut down, I hope that Nova's user base can find a happy home in one of these launchers that can provide much of what users want and need.” He was referring to similar apps like Niagara Launcher, Smart Launcher and Lawnchair, all of which have been vocal in their support for Cliff on X (formerly Twitter).
Regarding the official, verified Nova Launcher Discord server, which is thriving with users, Cliff said, “Branch has made it pretty clear that they don't want a server. If they change their mind and want a server, we'll cross that bridge when the time comes.” He also said that since Kevin himself can't devote the time to running the server, he could rely on volunteer moderators, “which could of course be myself, Rob Wainwright, and dire, who's been running the server for years.” But he's not sure if that's the path Kevin wants to take.
Cliff's plans for the Discord server haven't been finalized yet, but he is considering “rebranding it to something like Android Customization.” He's worried about losing members, but “if we were to rebrand it, it would make sense to keep it somehow Android-related.”
I love and miss Nova with all my heart. I've spent so much time with the app, its users, and its community over the years, and I'll miss it more than I can put into words.
However, he cautions that it's too early to dismiss Discord's problems, given that he's currently unemployed. Reflecting on his long stint at Nova, he says that while he'd like to stick to his customer support role, he's “more than willing, able and capable to learn new things and generally do new things. Once I start doing that, I'll be applying for all kinds of jobs along the way.”
Some of us were disappointed when Branch acquired Nova, but now that feeling is definitely starting to grow, as this will likely mean the end of Nova Launcher as we know it. I am sure that Cliff, Kevin, Branch, and everyone involved in the project will consider how to prevent the project from meeting its demise in this way. There are risks and uncertainties, but I hope that millions of users like me will not be disappointed.