Nova Launcher Receives New Update Despite Developer’s Departure

Nova Launcher, a popular third-party launcher for Android devices, has received a new update – version 8.1.6 beta – resolving a critical crash issue for users.

The latest beta, released today, fixes a bug introduced in version 8.1.5 that caused the launcher to crash whenever a user initiated a search within the app drawer, unless the app display was limited to a single row. Users reported the issue on Reddit, and the 8.1.6 beta restores full search functionality. This update is significant as it addresses a usability problem affecting a core feature of the launcher.

The continued updates are surprising given that Nova Launcher founder Kevin Barry announced in September that he would no longer be involved in the project’s development. Barry stated his departure from Branch, the analytics firm that acquired Nova Launcher in 2022, would likely mean the end of active maintenance for the launcher. Some speculate that Branch may be responding to recent concerns about the launcher’s future by releasing previously completed updates.

Former Nova developer Rob Wainwright suggested that many of these recent updates were actually completed by the original Nova team over a year ago, indicating that current releases may be the result of a backlog of features being deployed. Android customization options like Nova Launcher offer users a way to personalize their mobile experience beyond the default settings provided by manufacturers; maintaining these options is important to many Android users. For more information on Android launchers, see Android Authority’s guide to the best Android launchers.

Branch has not yet commented on the ongoing updates or the future of Nova Launcher development.

Robert Triggs / Android Authority

TL;DR

• Nova Launcher is getting yet another update with version 8.1.6 beta.
• The latest update resolves a bug that was causing the launcher to crash when performing a search in the app drawer.
• These regular updates might seem like someone is still actively developing the launcher, but that may not be the case.

Nova Launcher is receiving yet another update, despite its founder, Kevin Barry, announcing in September that he would no longer be involved in its development. At the time, Barry had stated that he was the only one working on the third-party launcher and that with his departure from Branch, the analytics firm that acquired Nova Launcher in 2022, the project would no longer be maintained.

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Since then, Nova Launcher has received several back-to-back updates, with the latest 8.1.6 beta addressing a major crash issue. According to users on Reddit, the new beta, released just a few hours ago, fixes the bug that broke app drawer search. In version 8.1.5, performing a search in the app drawer would instantly crash the launcher unless users limited apps to a single row. The 8.1.6 beta resolves this problem, so searches now work properly without that workaround.

Who is working on Nova Launcher?

The question puzzling users now is: who’s actually making all these changes and releasing new updates to Nova Launcher? Since Barry’s exit from Branch, the company that owns Nova, no one was expected to maintain, let alone update, the launcher.

Former Nova developer Rob Wainwright previously mentioned that most of these updates were completed by the original Nova team over a year ago, suggesting that active development may have stalled, and these are simply leftover features being pushed to production now.

Some users also speculate that Branch might be responding to the recent negative publicity surrounding the launcher’s demise by rolling out bug fixes and updates that were already ready to go.

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