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Instabridge Acquires Nova Launcher, Weighs Ads to Fund Development

Nova Prime stays ad-free at a restored $3.99 price.

Overview

  • Instabridge confirmed the purchase and said Nova will remain stable, compatible with modern Android, and actively maintained.
  • The company is evaluating a sustainable model that could include ads in the free tier and paid options, while keeping Nova Prime ad-free and honoring existing purchases.
  • Nova Prime pricing was reset to $3.99 following an earlier increase that Instabridge described as an error.
  • Open-sourcing is under active evaluation with no decision yet, and Instabridge pledged minimal, purpose-driven data collection with no sale of personal data.
  • Android outlets and users report ad-related code and new permissions in version 8.2.4 and say some are already seeing ads, which Instabridge has not formally confirmed.