#Android's Nova #Launcher's Sad End: Founder Says Development Is Over

https://www.androidheadlines.com/2025/09/nova-launcher-future-end-founder-leaves.html

It’s a sad day for anyone who loves customizing their Android phone‘s home screen. The founder and original developer of Nova Launcher, Kevin Barry, has officially parted ways with the project. This move, which marks the end of an era for one of Android’s most iconic apps, has left the future of the beloved Nova Launcher in serious doubt.

For years, Nova Launcher has been the go-to app for Android enthusiasts. It was famous for its incredible speed, endless customization options, and consistent updates. But things changed in 2022 when the analytics firm Branch acquired Nova. At the time, Branch assured the community that the original team would remain in control. The firm also claimed that development would continue as usual. There was even a public commitment to eventually open-source the launcher’s code if the team ever left.

Nova Launcher founder confirms he’s leaving the project
Fast forward to today, and that vision has seemingly unraveled. Kevin Barry recently announced that he has left Branch and is no longer involved with Nova. His statement revealed a particularly tough journey: for the past year, he had been the sole developer on the project. Even more disheartening, he had spent months preparing to open-source Nova Launcher—a move long promised to the community—but was ultimately asked by Branch to stop his efforts.

This news spells the end of Nova Launcher as we know it. While the app will continue to function on your phone for now, it is unlikely to receive any new features or updates. As Google releases new versions of Android, the launcher may eventually struggle to keep up.

For the community that has supported Nova for over a decade, this is a real disappointment. It’s a reminder of what can happen when a larger corporate structure absorbs a grassroots passion project. While the legacy of Nova Launcher’s speed and customization will live on, it seems its development story has come to an unceremonious close.

Samsung fixes #Android #0day that may have been used to spy on #WhatsApp messages

A similar vuln on Apple devices was used against 'specific targeted users' Samsung has fixed a critical flaw that affects its Android devices - but not before attackers found and exploited the bug, which could allow remote code execution on affected devices.…

https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/12/samsung_fixes_android_0day/

Tor Project Releases Experimental #Tor #VPN Beta for #Android with Per-App Routing and Privacy Tools
https://ift.tt/boRFLGe
@reclaimthenet

The Tor Project has launched its own VPN – but it's not the finished product yet
https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/vpns/the-tor-project-has-launched-its-own-vpn-but-its-not-the-finished-product-yet

https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/applications/vpn

Dicio assistant

Dicio is a free and open source #voice #assistant running on #Android. It supports many different skills and input/output methods, and it provides both speech and graphical feedback to a question. It interprets user input and (when possible) generates user output entirely on-device, providing privacy by design. It has multilanguage support, and is currently available in these languages: Czech, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish and Ukrainian. Open to contributions :-D

https://github.com/Stypox/dicio-android

Download
https://f-droid.org/packages/org.stypox.dicio
https://github.com/Stypox/dicio-android/releases
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.stypox.dicio

Skills
Currently Dicio answers questions about:
search: looks up information on DuckDuckGo (and in the future more engines) - Search for Dicio
weather: collects weather information from OpenWeatherMap - What's the weather like?
lyrics: shows Genius lyrics for songs - What's the song that goes we will we will rock you?
open: opens an app on your device - Open NewPipe
calculator: evaluates basic calculations - What is four thousand and two times three minus a million divided by three hundred?
telephone: view and call contacts - Call Tom
timer: set, query and cancel timers - Set a timer for five minutes
current time: query current time - What time is it?
navigation: opens the navigation app at the requested position - Take me to New York, fifteenth avenue
media: play, pause, previous, next song

Speech to text
Dicio uses Vosk as its speech to text (#STT) engine. In order to be able to run on every phone small models are employed, weighing ~50MB. The download from here starts automatically whenever needed, so the app language can be changed seamlessly.

Is FDroid in trouble?

Today we look at the Google app developer verification program and the impact it will have on F-Droid. Is this about security or something else?
#android #fdroid #google

00:00 - My Early Phone Experience
06:15 - Google's Developer Verification
08:30 - F-Droid Responds
10:38 - Malware on the Play Store
18:00 - Criminals Gonna Criminal
21:17 - F-Droid Distribution Issues
28:30 - All About Security?
30:15 - Rights and Solutions

https://youtu.be/-SOOoQWv4kk

#LineageOS 23 released and the state of #Android #aosp

https://lineageos.org/Changelog-30/

How to run #ADB and #fastboot in #Termux without root to unlock #bootloader, run ADB commands, remove #bloatware, flash ROM, or even root another #Android

https://www.mobile-hacker.com/2025/06/16/how-to-run-adb-and-fastboot-on-a-non-rooted-android-smartphone-using-termux/:

1. It supports debloating of various manufacturers and mobile carriers such as LG, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Realme, Vivo, ZTE, OnePlus, Nokia, Sony, Asus, Google, Fairphone, Motorola, Tecno, Unihertz.
2. Full access to the app’s private storage — including databases, tokens, cached credentials, config files, or even offline user data.
3. Another common issue in AndroidManifest.xml is this flag: When enabled (which it is by default unless explicitly disabled), Android allows the app’s private data to be backed up via ADB — again, even on non-rooted devices.

Android, use termux-adb command instead of adb
https://github.com/nohajc/termux-adb

Android debloater for pc and debloat lists
https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation

#debloat

Universal Android Debloater Next Generation

https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation

This is a detached fork of the UAD project, which aims to improve privacy and battery performance by removing unnecessary and obscure system apps. This can also contribute to improving security by reducing (but not eliminating) the attack surface. Read the wiki for more details on getting started. Whilst UAD-ng can remove system apps, it cannot detect or remove potentially malicious system services or drivers baked into the firmware of your device by various vendors; some vendor-specific apps are only UI front-ends to vendor-provided system services, and as such disabling/uninstalling those apps will not stop a service from running. Additional information can be found in package descriptions inside the Universal Android Debloater Next Generation application.

#Android #debloat #UADNG

#Google's proposed #Android changes won't save sideloading

https://www.androidauthority.com/android-changes-third-party-app-stores-3613409/

Landfall #Android #Spyware Targeted #Samsung Phones via Zero-Day.

Threat actors exploited CVE-2025-21042 to deliver malware via specially crafted images to users in the Middle East.

https://www.securityweek.com/landfall-android-spyware-targeted-samsung-phones-via-zero-day/

#Android 16 fixes a big privacy flaw in its 'approximate' #location setting

Android 16 quietly introduced a new feature called "density-based coarse locations" that makes the 'approximate' location setting more secure.

https://www.androidauthority.com/android-16-density-based-coarse-locations-3614048/

UNPATCHED Critical #Vulnerability in ALL #Android

https://youtu.be/FDeMq8W4-sU

#Android 16 QPR1 has been released to AOSP finally

https://android.googlesource.com/platform/build/+/refs/heads/android16-qpr1-release

Keep Android Open
https://keepandroidopen.org

In August 2025, #Google announced that starting next year, it will no longer be possible to develop apps for the #Android platform without first registering centrally with Google. This registration will involve:

Paying a fee to Google
Agreeing to Google’s Terms and Conditions
Providing government identification
Uploading evidence of the developer’s private signing key
Listing all current and future application identifiers
What this means for your rights
➤ You, the consumer, purchased your Android device believing in Google’s promise that it was an open computing platform and that you could run whatever software you choose on it. Instead, starting next year, they will be non-consensually pushing an update to your operating system that irrevocably blocks this right and leaves you at the mercy of their judgement over what software you are permitted to trust.

➤ You, the creator, can no longer develop an app and share it directly with your friends, family, and community without first seeking Google’s approval. The promise of Android — and a marketing advantage it has used to distinguish itself against the iPhone — has always been that it is “open”. But Google clearly feels that they have enough of a lock on the Android ecosystem, along with sufficient regulatory capture, that they can now jettison this principle with prejudice and impunity.

➤ You, the state, are ceding the rights of your citizens and your own digital sovereignty to a company with a track record of complying with the extrajudicial demands of authoritarian regimes to remove perfectly legal apps that they happen to dislike. The software that is critical to the running of your businesses and governments will be at the mercy of the opaque whims of a distant and unaccountable corporation.

How you can help: ...

Unremovable #ISRAELI #SPYWARE Embedded On Every #Samsung Phone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNYEZdGxD30
#why #Android

#Google alleges now that it will allow users to sideload #Android apps without verification
Article, Comments

The newly launched #Steam Frame with 8 gen 3 SOC comes with an #ARM version of Steam OS

https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/vr-hardware/steamos-launching-for-arm-fex-translation-layer/


#Valve is welcoming #Android games into Steam

https://www.theverge.com/news/818672/valve-android-apps-steam-frame

#Android 17 is building a new #Contacts Picker to keep your address book private

https://www.androidauthority.com/android-17-contacts-picker-rumor-3615741/

#Google's new #AluminiumOS project brings #Android to #PC: Here's what we know

https://www.androidauthority.com/aluminium-os-android-for-pcs-3619092/

#Google Confirms #Android Attacks-No Fix for Most #Samsung Users
Article, Comments