[branon]

Haven't heard of Nova in a very long time, this was one of the original customizable launchers for Android wasn't it? If it's gone this long without being open-sourced, it might be time to let go. Been using https://kisslauncher.com/ for many years and have no complaints.

[el_duderino]

Yeah but I believe Launcher Pro (~15 years ago) was before Nova.

Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cREpIdgmWSk

[bisby]

KISS is a complete paradigm shift from other phone launchers. It takes some getting used to. It has made me rethink how I use my phone from time to time because I have it set to sort by recently used: I only have a few apps I use regularly it seems.

Not for everyone, but it's my preferred way to use a phone now.

[PlatoIsADisease]

I suppose it doesn't matter because there is probably a search or something, but I only use my banking app and children's games every month or 2. I like knowing where they are at. 2 swipes away.

Also, doesn't this mean more attention to the screen? I can blindly pick apps without looking at my screen. Makes it useful when running + audiobook + taking notes.

[bisby]

Yes. Search works for finding things once every few months. Or, I've found that they tend to not really be that far down the list, because I only use a few apps per month anyway, so "1 month ago" is actually pretty recent in that regard.

But I also have specific apps pinned. Messaging, Browser, Camera all have fixed icons across the bottom of the screen, so I could blindly pick those as well as on any other launcher.

And in some cases, it means more attention, but more intent - which I find good. I'm far less likely to randomly open an app just because I see it on the screen. "Oh I havent played this game in a few months" never pops up (unless I scroll the complete app list, which it still has).

It's a trade off, for me, it means faster (but not no look - but tbh, I never have had that level of accuracy with any launcher) access to my most common used apps, and a slight decrease in rarely used apps. So I save half a second 10 times a day, and lose 5 seconds once a week. It's a tradeoff that I'm willing to make based on my particular usage patterns.

[LelouBil]

Didn't know about KISS, I know Kvaesitso is also a search-focused launcher (that seems to have more features ? I didn't download KISS)

https://kvaesitso.mm20.de/

[reddalo]

The Nexus 5 bezel and the Google+ link in the footer don't make this launcher look modern and maintained... but I'll give it a try anyway.

[abrugsch]

Looks pretty well maintained[0]:

> v3.24.1 Latest

> @Neamar released this Dec 4, 2025

[0] https://github.com/Neamar/KISS/releases

[ryukoposting]

Yeah, I was rocking Nova on my Samsung Galaxy Nexus back in 2012. It was the first time I ever paid for an app. Back then Nova was a huge upgrade to usability, but stock launchers eventually caught up, and by the late 2010s I was really just using it to make my phone look cool. I've heard it's borderline abandonware at this point, which is a shame.

[Izkata]

There's still nothing that's as configurable as SweeterHome was. It died somewhere around the Android 2 days.

[realaaa]

thanks for that link ! cheers