Remember when Nova Launcher was the privacy-respecting alternative to bloated manufacturer launchers? That version is dead.

Users discovered the Android home screen replacement quietly added Facebook and Google Ads tracking SDKs in a recent update. No announcement. No opt-in. Just silent data collection pushed to millions of devices.

This is the playbook, and it's depressingly predictable:

Step 1: Build beloved indie app with passionate user base. Step 2: Get acquired by analytics company. Step 3: Slowly inject tracking and monetization. Step 4: Watch the community you built realize they've been sold out.

Branch Metrics acquired Nova in 2022. At the time, Nova's developer promised nothing would change. "Nova Launcher will continue to be supported and developed," the announcement said. The premium version would "remain a one-time purchase."

What they didn't promise: no tracking.

And here we are. Facebook and Google ad trackers in a launcher that users chose specifically to escape manufacturer spyware.

The pattern extends far beyond Nova. Tasker got acquired, became subscription-based. Wunderlist got bought by Microsoft, shut down to push users toward To Do. Sunrise Calendar - same story. Mailbox, Sparrow, the list goes on.

Acquisitions kill indie apps. Not always immediately, but eventually. The acquiring company didn't pay millions for your user base out of charity - they want to monetize it.

What makes this particularly frustrating is that Nova users had already paid. The premium version cost money. One-time purchase, no subscription, own it forever. That was the deal.

Now those paying customers get tracking injected into software they bought, and their "ownership" means nothing.

The technical reality is that Android launchers have extraordinary access. They see every app you open, when you open it, how often, in what order. They know your home screen layout, your widget usage, your notification patterns. A launcher with tracking is surveillance at the OS level.

Facebook and Google don't need that data to serve you ads - they already have profiles. They want it to build correlation graphs. Who else has similar app usage patterns? What apps predict certain behaviors? How do you cluster users for targeting?

Users are already migrating. Lawnchair, KISS Launcher, Niagara - all seeing upticks. The open-source alternatives particularly, because at least you can audit what they're doing.

But most users won't switch. They'll get the update, never read patch notes, and never know their home screen is now a data collection point for ad networks.

This is why open-source matters. Why audit trails matter. Why we should be skeptical when beloved indie tools get acquired by data companies.

The product isn't the launcher anymore. The product is you.