Android launcher Nova has been acquired by tech company Branch

Nova Launcher has been bought by tech company Branch, the creator of the Nova Launcher, Kevin Barry, announced today. According to Barry, Nova Launcher will just keep developing and he will continue to be involved with the popular launcher for Android.

Barry writes on Nova Launcher’s website that nothing will change for users. According to Barry, Branch mainly wants to use the Nova Launcher for testing its own products. Not only Nova Launcher is taken over, but also Sesame Searchan Android search tool merges into Branch.

According to Barry, Branch is interested in the Nova Launcher to collect analytics about its products. He does write that he wants these analytics to have an opt-out option: “Nova Launcher already has basic analytics, with an opt-out. This will remain the case. However, the priority for what we want to measure is shifting, so there will be to change something”.

Barry added that he had many conversations about privacy and analytics with Branch prior to the acquisition and believes they will “do the right thing for Nova Launcher users.” He also writes that he will personally continue to develop new features and updates for the Nova Launcher. Nova is currently working on version 8.0.2 with beta to be released soon, Barry said.

The Nova Launcher is available through the Google Play Store and has over 50 million downloads. The launcher allows users to customize the layout and functionalities of Android to their preference.