NovaLauncher: Today marks 1 year since our announcement that we've joined the Branch and Sesame teams! 🎉 That also means it has been 1 year since we promised your data would be safe... (nitter.net)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by ijeff@lemdro.id to c/android@lemdro.id

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Nitter link provided instead of Twitter post. Screenshot below.

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[+] kadu@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

[deleted]

[-] chaircat@lemdro.id 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I mean, their message is a little weird, but so is the scaremongering that's been going on against them ever since they changed ownership. From comments on the Reddit post, Branch is actually integrated into Google apps, Samsung Launcher, and a ton of other stuff and nobody really blinks an eye at that.

There literally is no evidence they do anything unseemly with peoples' data, yet the scaremongering persists, including a lot right here in this thread. What exactly are they supposed to say other than to emphasize this fact? Anyone who would distrust them based on this post was already definitely inclined to distrust them.

[-] Carighan@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I see it more as a jab at the insane scaremongering when they sold.

Yeah sure, some concerns are justified in that situation, alright. But it's not like you need to instantly drop something the moment this happens, more so because half the alternatives people recommend have trackers the very company that bought nova runs.

[-] ImaginaryFox@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Integrity company here. It's been a year since we partnered with known mobster Two Face and we promised you that he would have no influence over our business other than as a financier and we've kept that promise! As you can see his racketeering has been kept completely independent of our day to day activities. You can trust us and Two Face that we will be allowed to be completely independent and there is no tom foolery going around behind the scenes.

[-] ijeff@lemdro.id -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Surely you mean Tegrity Farms?

[-] PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks 1 points 1 year ago

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[-] ijeff@lemdro.id -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It definitely feels weird, but it could also just be a reaction to the significant criticisms at the time of the purchase and change of ownership.

[-] InAmberClad@lemmy.nz 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I really like Nova, but also prefer to keep as much of my data to myself so I blocked Nova access to the internet via app permissions. Also blocked branch domains on my pi-hole for peace of mind.

[-] Marxine@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Been using lawnchair since forever, I try to avoid closed source apps as much as possible, so Nova was never an option for me.

[-] jsnfwlr@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

The play store says lawnchair isn't available because it was made for an older version of Android... The versions on F-Droid are 2 years old too ...

[-] kioshi@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Get the alphas at lawnchair.app

[-] jsnfwlr@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The alphas there are the same ~year old ones on F-Droid

[-] LiveLM@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Just wish it would get more development.
The last Alpha is from August 8 and even then the current iteration is a shell of what Lawnchair was during the V2 Alpha days

[-] IdleSheep@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 year ago

Consider using Neo Launcher. It's open source and actively developed and is basically what lawnchair aimed to be.

[-] SmugBedBug@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

I made the jump to Niagara and have enjoyed it so far. I really enjoyed Nova, but there's no going back at this point.

[-] Wistful@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 year ago

Anyway, I just wish KISS offered a better widget customization.

[-] Dirk_Darkly@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

I love KISS. Anyone picking up my phone would just see a blank screen with seemingly no function unless you know to swipe.

[-] density@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

the FLOSS alternative https://github.com/NeoApplications/Neo-Launcher/

I don't have a play store link if you do please post it for those in need

[-] ijeff@lemdro.id -1 points 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing! They don't seem to have a Play Store listing, but they do have an F-Droid link on the IzzyOnDroid repo. Can also add their GitHub releases to Obtainium for easy updating.

[-] miracleorange@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

And now I just learned about Obtainium. Thank you!

[-] mojo@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Why do you need to trust a launcher with your data at all? Why does it ever leave your device? This made me very skeptical about them.

[-] Transcendant@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Just install DuckDuckGo browser app and let it block any the trackers, job done. I've been using Nova on a new pixel 7a for a couple of months now and really happy with it (especially vs the incredibly stupid stock launcher, with its un-movable pointless widgets taking up half the home screen)

edit the DDG browser app runs a VPN which blocks trackers, I'm not making it up

[-] xcjs@programming.dev 0 points 1 year ago

Just so you're aware why people are disagreeing with you - an installed browser does not change the behavior of HTTP calls made in other applications.

[-] Transcendant@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's not just a browser though, it also blocks trackers in other apps. Or is the DDG app lying when it shows all the trackers it's blocking for each app?

Some few apps it literally breaks and need to have the tracker blocking disabled before they work again, so I'm pretty sure it's doing something. It runs as a VPN afaict

[-] xcjs@programming.dev 1 points 1 year ago

If it does include a VPN provider, then you're correct - it would work for other applications.

I don't think it's common knowledge for people who don't have the app, so you may want to include information about that in your original post.

[-] gelberhut@lemdro.id 0 points 1 year ago

A launcher needs a lot of privileges to do its work. I have to trust it that it does not collect/send anything to anywhere.

[-] mojo@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

My AOSP launcher has zero permissions, except one that I optionally enabled to see notifications so it can do the little notification dots on my app icons.

[-] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 year ago

Im not even sure what this all means? Ive been using Nova Launcher since my Galaxy Note 2, though... maybe I should stop using it?

[-] gelberhut@lemdro.id 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This means that around a year ago nova was sold to a data collection company. But nova team declared that this had no impact on the launcher.

this is declared for mostly every company takeover, and very rarely happens in practice.

What to do, is up to you. Many stopped using nova .

[-] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 year ago

Interesting. Maybe its time to give the stock Samsung launcher a try, I guess?

[-] ijeff@lemdro.id -1 points 1 year ago

I personally have still been using Nova Launcher and like it a lot more than Samsung's on my S23 Ultra.

[-] gelberhut@lemdro.id 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

To my own surprise I found OneUI launcher very good and with good lock extension I have everything I need. One hand+ is a amazing tool on top of it

this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2023

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