this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2026
280 points (99.0% liked)

Android

21023 readers
332 users here now

The new home of /r/Android on Lemmy and the Fediverse!

Android news, reviews, tips, and discussions about rooting, tutorials, and apps.

🔗Universal Link: !android@lemdro.id


💡Content Philosophy:

Content which benefits the community (news, rumours, and discussions) is generally allowed and is valued over content which benefits only the individual (technical questions, help buying/selling, rants, self-promotion, etc.) which will be removed if it's in violation of the rules.


Support, technical, or app related questions belong in: !askandroid@lemdro.id

For fresh communities, lemmy apps, and instance updates: !lemdroid@lemdro.id

💬Matrix Chat

💬Telegram channels / chats

📰Our communities below


Rules

  1. Stay on topic: All posts should be related to the Android OS or ecosystem.

  2. No support questions, recommendation requests, rants, or bug reports: Posts must benefit the community rather than the individual. Please post to !askandroid@lemdro.id.

  3. Describe images/videos, no memes: Please include a text description when sharing images or videos. Post memes to !androidmemes@lemdro.id.

  4. No self-promotion spam: Active community members can post their apps if they answer any questions in the comments. Please do not post links to your own website, YouTube, blog content, or communities.

  5. No reposts or rehosted content: Share only the original source of an article, unless it's not available in English or requires logging in (like Twitter). Avoid reposting the same topic from other sources.

  6. No editorializing titles: You can add the author or website's name if helpful, but keep article titles unchanged.

  7. No piracy or unverified APKs: Do not share links or direct people to pirated content or unverified APKs, which may contain malicious code.

  8. No unauthorized polls, bots, or giveaways: Do not create polls, use bots, or organize giveaways without first contacting mods for approval.

  9. No offensive or low-effort content: Don't post offensive or unhelpful content. Keep it civil and friendly!

  10. No affiliate links: Posting affiliate links is not allowed.

Quick Links

Our Communities

Lemmy App List

Chat and More


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

The latest update for the popular Nova Launcher app includes Facebook Ads and Google AdMob.

Compare 8.2.4: https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/698198/

With 8.1.6: https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/673643/

From 2 trackers to 6 trackers. From 30 permissions to 36. And two of the "trackers" are for ad stuff, like Facebook Ads.

I believe the owner also changed. It's no longer Branch, but something called Instabridge Sweden.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Rekall_Incorporated@piefed.social 10 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I've been using Nova since Android 4.x and I am really did not want to switch, but it sounds like I have no other option now.

It's going to be a pain; multiple family members use Nova on their smartphones/tablets and they are used to the interface.

Can Lawnchair be customized to replicate Nova?

[–] MIDItheKID@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I've been using Nova launcher for just as long, and finally got off of it in November. First it was no updates, then whispers of ad injections, and now the ads are actually here.

With that said, I tried Lawnchair, and found it to be clunky, unintuitive, and either lacking the features that I wanted or I couldn't find them.

I ended up going with Smart Launcher, which has been a fantastic replacement. It's got everything that Nova Launcher has and more, and it's very easy to use.

Smart Launcher is great so far. Thanks for the recommendation.

Thanks for the suggestion, I am so not looking forward to moving the family off Nova (lots of tech support), but it must be done.

[–] Shave_MyBeever@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

I too switched to Lawnchair from Nova and am pretty happy with it. Has a similar experience.