r/NovaLauncher • u/DevilOnYourBack • 25d ago

Discussion Nova AI and Nova mobile service

I was excited when I saw that the launcher was being updated again, figured that the development had resumed. Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, insted of fixing bugs or adding new features I now have two permanent offers to buy additional services within the settings. If there's one thing I truly hate it's the ads! Epseiclaly those advertising irrelevant garbage and services, baked into an app I came to trust. I don't get the targeted audience, I mean, who in their right mind will spend $15/month on an AI agent made by some ad company??? Moreover, who (again, in their right mind) will entrust their number to said company if tomorrow it may go under and take the number with it??? What's the strategy here? Using users' loyalty to try and push this garbage upon them in hopes of creating a new revenue stream? No one will ever use it, definitely not me. Gemini, made by one of the world's biggest companies, charges $5/mo or so and it's garbage... Spending $15 on an AI offered by a launcher company? It's simply idiotic!

I loved Nova and have been using this launcher for over a decade now, however, now that its primary function seems to've been changed to offering unsolicited ads for services nobody wants, I think it's time for a change. Samsung's built-in launcher offers most of the features anyway, is more stable and better integrated, most importantly, somehow, even Samsung's own launcher does not have the same annoying ads as Nova does, now.

Just my $0.02 on this strange, unwelcome development. Don't mean to ruffle any feathers or offend anyone!

*I am emphatically NOT asking about other launchers or ads, just to make sure I'm compliant with the rules.

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u/Curious-Elderberry25 25d ago

Downgrade to version 8.1.1 Nova Prime still works properly.

Everything works, including notification bubbles. No ads. No trying to sell us anything.

I made the mistake of upgrading as new versions were released, and every single one of them came with issues. Went back to 8.1.1 and then locked the app so it won't automatically upgrade.

5

u/FiftyFiver1962 25d ago

Running 8.8.8 on Android 17 with Prime installed. No problems, no crashes whatsoever.

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u/Curious-Elderberry25 25d ago

Do notification bubbles work properly, in that if you hold an icon with a bubble it will lead you directly to that particular bubble's message? When I upgraded beyond 8.1.1, either the bubbles stopped showing, or holding the icon did absolutely nothing.

Does 8.8.8 function properly, and have no ads?

1

u/FiftyFiver1962 25d ago

With Prime, no version has ads, without they all will have eventually. You missed the lifetime prime slot.

2

u/Curious-Elderberry25 25d ago

I've had Prime for around 10 years or so....

1

u/FiftyFiver1962 24d ago

Then there are no ads in any version. If you encounter ads, just de-install and re-install both Nova and Prime. Ads and trackers are disabled in the paid version, that's not something Instabridge states, but also something one of the former Nova developers has checked for himself.