PSA: Nova Launcher is owned by an analytics company

Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca to Android@lemmy.world – 1084 points –
androidpolice.com

Since a few folks seem unaware of this, I'm posting anew for visibility.

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Switched to Niagara launcher (Pro version) about a year ago and now I cannot imagine using a phone with an traditional app drawer.

On the Google Play page data safety section, they seem to share and collect about as much data as Nova.

I figured as much considering their heavy ad spend on the play store. They pop up as the number one result as an ad for every launcher search I make.

I found an alternative called Olauncher.minimal af launcher. Play store says it collects and shares nothing, though I don't know how easy it is to fool. It seems ok so far, though I'm not sure I really want a minimalist launcher.

If you use more than one widget it's a terrible choice. I know they have stackable widgets, but it looks awful swiping with differing size widgets.

Also using it since almost a year back i think now. But not pro. I can't find a reason to pay that much for functionality I don't really need even if I would pay to support the dev.

IMO the theming feature in Pro is worth it. Having all icons in the same style makes the app list way less distracting. And supporting the dev is a nice bonus too.

I am a person that really don't care about icons. I wanted 2 widgets but since I switched I have learnt to live with just one of the two. I promise, if the price was halved i wouldn't have blinked but as it is now as a subscription every year. Yeah, no I don't use my phone that much.

Here's an alternative that's about 50% less expensive and not a subscription. Personally use it on KISS launcher and it's basically perfect for my uses

I gotta check this out when I get some time.

Came here to mention Niagara. Been using it almost 5 years now and it's perfect. Early on had some stuff that I missed, like folders or browser shortcuts, but the overall UI made up for it. But now? Flawless. Peerless. Just fucking, delightful.

I don't even think about it until I see someone else use their launcher, and feel the need to give them a short Niagara demo.

I don't understand why no phone company has considered making at least something similar as default. A vertical list of apps is way more intuitive than a mess of dozens of apps with too many colors. Now if switch to a new phone, I even have to check if it supports gestures for third-party launchers. Another a-hole feature of some brands (specifically Xiaomi). Using Niagara with the bottom navigation buttons makes no sense.