I found an Android launcher so good that I don’t miss Nova anymore
I found an Android launcher so good that I don’t miss Nova anymore
https://www.zdnet.com/article/i-found-an-android-launcher-so-good-that-i-dont-miss-nova-anymore/
Publish Date: 2026-07-09 11:00:00
Source Domain: www.zdnet.com
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Octopi Launcher is one of the coolest on the market.
- This launcher takes over where Nova left off.
- There’s both a free and a pro version.
Last year, Nova Launcher, one of the most popular third-party Android launchers, shut down when Kevin Barry left the company that owned the app. Soon after, Nova was resurrected by Sweden-based Instabridge, which decided to integrate third-party tracking software into Nova Launcher to collect and monetize user data. What was once a trusted and beloved home screen launcher became a data mining scheme.
It was a sad day for Nova Launcher fans, who knew it was the best launcher on the market. It was sleek, efficient, and highly flexible. It was one of the first Android apps I ever paid for and would have continued paying for it, had the new company not pulled it into the quicksand of doom.
Fast forward to now, and there are tons of Android launchers to choose from. One of those options easily slides into the space Nova Launcher occupied. That launcher is Octopi Launcher, and it’s every bit as cool as Nova Launcher was.
Also: How to clear your Android phone cache – the 30-second routine every user should be doing
If you have a foldable phone, Octopi Launcher will be of particular interest because it seamlessly switches layouts between single- and double-display modes. You can also set different layouts for different screens, so if your foldable also includes a smaller back-of-phone display, you can customize that as well.
Since I don’t have a foldable phone, I wasn’t able to test this feature. I did, however, test Octopi Launcher on a tablet and found it to be just as awesome on the larger screen.
Octopi also has different actions for different gestures, such as:
- Swipe up with one finger to access the App Drawer.
- Swipe down with one finger to access the Notification Shade.
- Swipe down with two fingers to search.
- Double-tap to turn off the…
