# Replacement for Nova launcher on Android device **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 26, 2025, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311 "2025-10-26T19:31:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2025, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/1 "2025-10-26T19:31:55Z")
Continuing the discussion from [Android tablet/Google Play recommendations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-tablet-google-play-recommendations/1024271/17): > [@Android tablet/Google Play recommendations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-tablet-google-play-recommendations/1024271/17): > > Edit: Coincidentally, I just saw that Nova Launcher is shutting down (or has?) and folks moved to Hyperion or Octopi as their launcher of choice. I ran across this in a thread about buying a particular tablet, but this is about to become an issue for me, as i use Nova launcher on my phone. (A pixel 9). Someone acquired Nova, and the only developer left on the project just left the new company, and anyone using Nova will need to migrate to something else in the not too distant future. So, what are the options? What do you recommend? The pixel default launcher has gotten better. What adjustments would i have to make to revert to that? Anyone made that change? > **[Nova Launcher is shutting down, and Android fans are heartbroken](https://www.androidauthority.com/nova-launcher-shutdown-3595611/)** > > Nova Launcher, one of Android's most loved customization tools, is now going away for good and Android fans are not taking it well. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2025, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/2 "2025-10-26T19:35:01Z")
I’m in the same boat, except I have a non-Pixel android phone. I’ve used Nova Launcher for many years and i really like my setup. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2025, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/3 "2025-10-26T19:39:41Z")
I’ve switched to Octopi launcher, and am liking it fine. It is not a feature for feature dropin replacement for Nova, but after using it for a month or two, I’m not really missing Nova. Nova was so versatile and configurable, that it seems everyone has their favorite feature they miss, so it’s hard to say if this will be a good substitute for you. The biggest missing feature _for me_ is the lack of a button to go to the app screen. Instead I use an up swipe. At first that seemed like a deal breaker, but meh, I’m used to it now. If it is added as a feature I’ll probably add a button to go to the app screen, but I don’t really miss it anymore. There is also a somewhat active Reddit group for Octopi where the developer posts. Premium is also a single, low payment. No subscription or anything annoying. Premium only adds a few features I don’t use, but I bought it anyway. The actual deal breaker for me on the stock launcher on my Google Pixel is that the Google search bar must be on the screen. I don’t want it, and I’ll never use it. I see it as a giant unblockable ad. > > > The home screen launcher that tries to be differen... ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2025, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/4 "2025-10-26T19:49:49Z")
Does it let you - set your own image as the background? - change the number of rows and columns? - Add widgets here and there? - Create easy-to-access groups of apps on the home pages? - Set the number of home pages - Easily find apps that aren’t on a home page, and add them to an existing group? - Copy your settings to a new phone? ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2025, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/5 "2025-10-26T20:14:45Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > - set your own image as the background? > - change the number of rows and columns? > - Add widgets here and there? > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Set the number of home pages Yes, to all of those things. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > - Create easy-to-access groups of apps on the home pages? It lets you do this, and even in some pretty easy ways, but there are some missing features. You can put apps in folders and then put those folders on the home screen. Getting things into folders isn’t quite as easy as it was on Nova, but it works. The more fun way is to tag apps, and then create folders from the tags. The missing feature is this doesn’t sync, it is just a one time thing. Delete and recreate is an option, though. For example, I tag Netflix, YouTube, and Paramount as “TV” and then create a folder from that. Later I tag Disney as TV, and it won’t automatically go into the folder. Tags work pretty well, because on the app screen you can swipe side to side to move through the different tags. So see all of your apps, or just TV, Money, Games, etc. Apps can have multiple tags. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > - Easily find apps that aren’t on a home page, and add them to an existing group? There is an app search feature easily available from the app drawer. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > - Copy your settings to a new phone? There is a backup and restore settings feature. That might be one of the premium features. I haven’t tested restore yet. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2025, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/6 "2025-10-27T00:42:10Z")
By the way, for the stock Android 16 launcher: > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Does it let you > > - set your own image as the background? > - change the number of rows and columns? > - Add widgets here and there? > - Create easy-to-access groups of apps on the home pages? > - Set the number of home pages > - Easily find apps that aren’t on a home page, and add them to an existing group? > - Copy your settings to a new phone? All of those are also “yes”. The rows and columns can be changed between 4 grid sizes, up to 5x6 grid of 30 icons/folders at the smallest. Personally I just have one home screen and swipe up to search for any less commonly used apps. As soon as you swipe up, you can start typing the first few letters of an app and easily find it. IMO it’s much faster than going through several home screen pages. You should be able to disable or uninstall Nova to try the stock launcher again. It might be good enough? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2025, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/7 "2025-10-27T01:12:43Z")
The main reason I don’t use the stock launcher is the fixed Google search widget, which I have absolutely no use for and hate having it take up space. Nova still exists, and I’ve not even seen anything about it being removed from the store. But, seeing as it was supposed to have been made open source and that failed, I’m leaning towards trying out Lawnchair Launcher. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2025, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/8 "2025-10-27T03:04:53Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > As soon as you swipe up, you can start typing the first few letters of an app and easily find it. IMO it’s much faster than going through several home screen pages. I’m really really bad at remembering specific words. Anything that makes me spell out the name of items, instead of looking in a fixed place, is going to drive me bonkers some morning when I’m especially aphasic. I have two home pages I use, each 5x6, plus a bottom row of fixed apps. Some of the space is large widgets (my calendar, the weather, an analog clock) and other space has folders, some of which have 20-30 items. (Games and travel apps are especially large.) This works well for me. Every app i ever use is on a home page. I have an app drawer that’s easy to summon that i can type in to find apps. But if i have to look in the app drawer, that’s a failure, and i make sure to put that app someplace i can find it. > [@Reply](#): > > You should be able to disable or uninstall Nova to try the stock launcher again. It might be good enough? Yeah, the stock launcher might be good enough. It’s improved a lot recently. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2025, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/9 "2025-10-27T03:30:01Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Does it let you > > - set your own image as the background? > - change the number of rows and columns? > - Add widgets here and there? > - Create easy-to-access groups of apps on the home pages? > - Set the number of home pages > - Easily find apps that aren’t on a home page, and add them to an existing group? > - Copy your settings to a new phone? I use [Apex Launcher Pro](https://www.apexlauncher.com/), and it does all of those things except possibly the last, which I’ve never tried, I just start over from scratch. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2025, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/10 "2025-10-27T04:00:50Z")
Hmm, has anyone tried square launcher? It’s funky, but it might be good at making the its visually distinctive. I’d miss my background photo, though. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2025, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/11 "2025-10-27T04:37:13Z")
So install a wallpapper app, like this one. Lets you choose a different background for each home screen, or span one panoramic image across all of them (up to 5) > > > Very simple tool to get different wallpaper for each deskto... ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2025, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/12 "2025-10-27T11:49:01Z")
Naw i think all the launchers, except maybe square, will support my existing wallpaper. I don’t want a different background for each page. I want the things i click on to look somewhat distinctive. I have a mix of sizes of items on my screens, and i make a lot of use of the option to place apps “off center” making it easy to know where to click without looking too carefully. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/13 "2025-11-03T06:26:28Z")
I noticed a big screen show up on one of my phone’s home pages offering new Nova Now “Cards”. [[Album] Nova ![](https://i.imgur.com/ykMIfUj.jpeg?fb "Nova") ](https://imgur.com/a/ZnRkjIv) I googled it and saw this link: > **[Nova Launcher Lives, Fresh Build Now Available](https://www.droid-life.com/2025/10/31/theres-a-fresh-build-of-nova-launcher-available/)** > > Back in September, news broke that Nova Launcher’s original founder and developer was asked to step away from the app and cease activities related to open sourcing the app. This news didn’t sit well with the Android community. While work on that is... ---
**Author:** ![And\_his\_buzzer\_goes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/and_his_buzzer_goes/32/377_2.png) [@And\_his\_buzzer\_goes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/And_his_buzzer_goes)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacement-for-nova-launcher-on-android-device/1024311/14 "2025-11-03T12:00:30Z")
The article mentions an active Discord community for Nova and also: > A note published alongside the apk file says that the majority of these changes were built by the original development team over a year ago. It’s last year’s new, that doesn’t seem promising at all. I too have moved on to Octopi.