The best Nova Launcher alternative isn’t on the Play Store — here’s how to install it

Although I no longer use it, there’s little doubt in my mind that Nova Launcher is a titan of the Android customization space. This app has seen the meteoric rise of the platform, from Ice Cream Sandwich right through to Android 17, and in that time, the launcher has experienced plenty of ups and downs itself. It was effectively abandonware at one point, then sold, then sold again, and now leaves once-committed users like me questioning its development trajectory . After its initial sale, Nova Launcher’s co-founder stated that an open-source release of the home screen was in the works, and suggested that should he leave the development team, that version would be made broadly available for fans to continue its legacy. More than a year since that post and the launcher’s sale to its current owner, there’s no indication that it’ll ever be open-sourced — at least not in an official capacity.