How I stopped Nova Launcher from tracking me without sacrificing my setup

It’s fair to say that Nova Launcher was once the pinnacle of the Android launcher space. While many of its loyal fans still believe it is, there’s no doubt it has experienced some ups and downs in recent years.

You likely know the Nova Launcher story by now. The app was sold in 2022, lay dormant for years afterward, and was recently purchased, with development ramping up once more. The launcher’s new custodians have focused on stability over new features, but some worrying additions have alienated me. From an injection of trackers to the proliferation of ads, to plans for an agentic AI assistant, and an admission in the privacy policy that the launcher may sample user information — I just don’t feel comfortable using Nova anymore. But, a slew of users still rely on this app as an important cog in their carefully synchronized workflows — yanking it simply isn’t an option.

So, what can you do? Well, if you don’t want to let go of your carefully built Nova layout and want to regain some degree of control over your user data, there are options. Here’s how I made it harder for Nova Launcher and other apps on my phone to monitor me.

As I mentioned in the introduction, Nova Launcher’s latest versions now carry several additional trackers compared to previous iterations. The two libraries that were originally part of the launcher in the 2023 versions have expanded to eight in more recent builds.

While trackers aren’t inherently problematic (some are genuinely useful for developers looking for bugs or ways to improve the user experience), I’d rather not have apps track my activity across my device if I can help it. Yes, many apps do just that, and some are far more flagrant than Nova, but the launcher is the core of my phone.

The only way to ensure that the launcher can’t make use of these trackers is to block them, and there are several ways you can do this.

My preference is NextDNS. I detail its setup and capabilities in a separate, more in-depth hands-on, but in short, NextDNS blocks requests from trackers and ad domains. I can control exactly which domains are blocked by using blocklists or manually adding trackers.

TrackerControl is another useful app that does what it says on the tin. It runs as a private VPN on-device and filters out tracker requests made by apps. Where it excels over NextDNS is its ability to show exactly which apps are making these requests, and how often.

Finally, a dedicated ad-blocking tool like Blokada is another good option. It performs a similar content-filtering service to NextDNS, but it runs as an app on the device. It’s a great solution if you want a manageable solution that can be disabled quickly.

Permissions are hall passes for Android apps, allowing them to access various features and info streams that may be required to function adequately. Regularly reviewing these for all apps on your phone should be part of your Android privacy and security checklist. Depending on your setup, you may need to grant Nova Launcher certain permissions. However, there are a handful that I deny.

Nearby devices, Location, and Calendar are three in particular, and don’t really serve a purpose in my setup. Your mileage may vary, so it’s important to review these requests regularly and forbid Nova — and any other Android app, for that matter — from gaining access to any deemed unnecessary.

It’s also a good idea to review Nova Launcher’s internal settings. I always make a point to disable Error & usage reporting, which is enabled by default. And with Nova AI rolling out, I uncheck the Open Nova AI with Enter key option. It’s worth noting that Nova AI is completely opt-in, so there’s no real worry about it overreaching.

If you prefer a more decisive measure than filtering traffic or blocking trackers, you could prohibit Nova Launcher from accessing the internet entirely.

There are several ways to do this, but my favorite is using the open source firewall app ShizuWall. It lets me block any app on my phone from accessing the internet, and it works without occupying Android’s VPN slot.

ShizuWall isn’t quite install-and-go, though. It requires a mild learning curve. First of all, you’ll need to install Shizuku — an open source tool that gives apps access to Android’s more privileged capabilities. It’ll require activation via ADB. Once it’s up and running, you’ll grant ShizuWall access to it, add Nova Launcher and any other app you want to disable internet access, and start the app. There’s one small problem: you’ll have to restart Shizuku each time you switch on the phone, which is a minor inconvenience and is pretty easy to forget.

Notably, if this is too much of a chore, TrackerControl also has a switch to sever an app from the internet.

Additionally, cutting off Nova Launcher from the internet will render several features useless, including the launcher’s built-in Google Search capabilities, any cards that require server data, and the in-app update feature. You might want to rethink this measure if you view any of these as essential.

If none of the above solutions quell your feelings of discord and doubt, consider rolling back to an older version of Nova Launcher. My suggestions include:

• Version 7.057, which is the final Teslacoil version.
• Version 8.1.6, which is the last Branch version with minimal trackers.

Importantly, if you’ve built your Nova Launcher setup with any of the tools introduced after these versions, running an older version of the app will break your builds. I’d suggest backing up your settings and noting your current Nova version before taking the leap.

Additionally, if you do roll back to an older version of the app, ensure you disable automatic updates in the Play Store to prevent Nova from updating itself to its latest version.

While Nova Launcher is the subject of this guide, the principles it outlines should apply to a wide range of Android apps we use and install every day. And yes, you should check every single app on your devices if personal data privacy is important to you. If not? Carry on. However, there’s just something I don’t like about a launcher — the spinal cord of my phone — having trackers following me around my device. I can forgive ads and subscription models, both of which are necessary sources of income, but I have to draw a line somewhere. It doesn’t matter what the app samples or how it uses my data; it’s the fact that it does it anyway.

While Nova may have lost my full-time usership, it’s clear that Android Authority readers still hold the app in high regard. Therefore, this guide is ultimately meant to support these users; users who don’t want to give up what they’ve built over decades but want to regain some control.

As a Nova Launcher fan, you should certainly support the developers. Indeed, I hope they eventually strip trackers from the paid versions of Nova Launcher. This would certainly be a step large and sweeping enough for me to reconsider my position on the launcher itself. However, supporting an app you love and safeguarding your usage data shouldn’t be an either-or decision.