快科技9月9日消息，安卓第三方桌面启动器Nova Launcher的创始人Kevin Barry已离开该项目，其背后的公司Branch要求他停止相关工作。Nova Launcher源于安卓4.0时代，以其简洁、快速和高度可定制性成为安卓定制化领域的佼佼者。2022年Branch收购Nova Launcher时承诺代码开源，但Barry近期宣布离职，称Branch新管理层要求他停止开源准备工作，导致开源承诺可能落空。目前Branch对Nova Launcher的未来计划尚不明确。

🚀 Kevin Barry, the founder of Nova Launcher, has left the project due to pressure from Branch to cease his work. Nova Launcher, known for its simplicity, speed, and high customizability, was a prominent tool in Android customization since the Android 4.0 era.

🔑 Branch acquired Nova Launcher in 2022 and publicly committed to open-sourcing the code, ensuring community management even after Barry's departure. However, with the departure of CEO Alex Austin in 2023 and a new management team, this promise may be at risk.

📝 Barry recently announced his departure in a blog post, revealing that he had been the sole developer of Nova Launcher for the past year and was preparing to open-source. The new Branch management's demand to stop this work has likely canceled the open-source commitment.

🤔 The future of Nova Launcher under Branch remains uncertain. Without a clear plan from Branch—whether to continue development or pause updates—users and developers may face an uncertain future for this popular tool.

快科技9月9日消息，据报道，安卓第三方桌面启动器Nova Launcher的创始人Kevin Barry已经离开了该项目，其背后的公司Branch要求他停止相关工作。

Nova Launcher的历史可以追溯到安卓4.0时代，当时手机厂商的原生桌面常常因运行缓慢和设计丑陋而饱受诟病，因此第三方桌面就成为发烧友的必备工具。

其中Nova以其简洁、快速且高度可定制的特点，在众多竞品中脱颖而出，成为安卓定制化领域的佼佼者。

2022年Branch收购了Nova Launcher，当时Branch首席执行官Alex Austin曾公开承诺，即使Barry离职，Nova的代码也会开源并交由社区管理。

不过Austin在2023年离开了公司，随后Nova的发展似乎也失去了方向。

在最近的一篇博客文章中，Barry宣布了自己离职的消息，他表示过去一年里他一直是Nova 唯一的开发者，并且一直在准备开源，但Branch的新管理层要求他停止这一工作。

目前暂不清楚Branch接下来的计划，是继续开发还是暂停更新，但开源的承诺大概率是没戏了。