Folio LauncherComing from Nova
An honest version: what you get, what is missing, and how to try Folio without burning the bridge behind you.
Why people are looking
Nova's development stopped in September 2025, and after it was sold in January 2026 ads and trackers appeared in it, which 9to5Google and Android Authority both covered at the time. If that is what brought you here, the thing worth knowing about Folio is that there is nothing to remove: no ad code, no analytics, no account, and the whole source is public under the MIT licence.
What you will find
Home pages and folders
Pages, folders, Icon Stacks, per-page icon size and labels.
A dock that follows the screen
Its own dock on each screen, rather than the one Android hides for third-party launchers.
Search everywhere
Spotlight, with app, contact and setting results as you type, and App Library search.
Gestures
Swipes and taps mapped to what you want, including opening Notification Center and Control Center.
Themes
Save your look as a file, import one, or take one from the Market.
Backups
Layout History saves Home before big changes so you can go back.
What is not there yet
Folio is early, and these are the ones a Nova user notices first. They are on the roadmap rather than being decisions against them.
Icon packs
Custom app icons from an icon pack or a photo are on the list for 0.6.9.
Choosing grid columns
Four, five or six columns is also 0.6.9; today Folio picks the grid from the screen.
Dragging apps into the dock
Editing the layout directly on Home, including the dock, comes with the same release.
Trying it without committing
- Install Folio. Your current launcher is untouched.
- Press Home and pick Folio when Android asks, then Always.
- Use it for a few days. Turn on Layout History first if you plan to rearrange a lot.
- Press Home and pick your old launcher to switch back. Its layout is exactly as you left it.
There is no import from Nova, and there will not be a half-working one: a layout imported into a different grid lands wrong, and quietly wrong is worse than absent.Setting and unsetting the home app is two taps either way.
Free, and staying that way
No ads, no analytics, no account. Supporters get new things early through Ko-fi; nothing that already works moves behind a payment.