The Swedish company, Instabridge, acquired Nova Launcher earlier this year. During the announcement, the company said that it needed a “sustainable business model” to support the development and maintenance. At the time, the company said it was exploring monetization options. Months later, things seem to progress, as a new beta version of the launcher reveals a new “Nova AI” feature tied to a Nova Plus subscription.
Nova Launcher’s new AI feature appears to be tied to a ‘Nova Plus’ subscription
As spotted by Android Authority, Nova Launcher version 8.6.8 beta includes several strings that point to an upcoming AI feature called “Nova AI” tied to a new “Nova Plus” subscription tier. The Nova AI’s main feature is a chat assistant that lives in the launcher and doesn’t require a separate app. Nova AI setup requires signing in with a Google account.
The report says that Nova AI will feature a dedicated chat interface where you can “Ask anything.” Users can reportedly view previous conversations, delete chats, and even generate shareable public links for specific conversations. It seems AI searches the web or local data and explicitly cites its sources.
Beyond the chatbot, Nova AI will also learn about you and offer contextual insights across various use cases. These include anticipating your app usage based on your habits, connecting your schedule through Calendar for smart reminders, and suggesting follow-up calls for frequently contacted people.
Nova AI may need deep system permissions
It may also surface people you need to contact for birthdays, follow-ups, people you haven’t talked to in a while, etc. The feature may also remind you to reply to people. It could also offer suggestions tailored to apps you use, discover things around you that match your interests, and quick switch tips based on what you just used.
That’s not it, Nova AI may also act as a “morning briefing,” possibly surfacing useful information about upcoming events, spotting schedule conflicts, and offering a heads-up before meetings. The report also says there are mentions of an “inner circle” of contacts, for which Nova AI will remind you to reply and provide relationship-aware answers. Nova AI will also surface weather information, local recommendations, and commute info, with location data.
Nova AI could sit on the “minus-one” home screen, and users could access it by swiping left from the home screen. It could be integrated into Nova’s search bar. Nova AI could also send you notifications for these insights. The report adds that there are strings that suggest the presence of home screen chips to potentially showcase insights and briefings directly on the home screen.
Monthly and annual recurring billing
The biggest change coming with the Nova AI feature is the Nova Plus subscription. This was reportedly called Nova Ultra in slightly older builds but has been renamed in the most recent beta. This could be different from the Nova Launcher Prime, but could include all the features offered through Prime. The Nova Launcher could offer ‘Nova Plus’ on monthly and annual recurring billing cycles, with free trials. The free trials will have a daily limit on AI messages.
For privacy, some strings suggest users may have control over what data they share with Nova AI. Users may be able to download their AI data and request its deletion, either immediately or after 30 days.
Nova Mobile
The report also mentions there are strings for “Nova Mobile” with a description about managing a phone plan. Nova Mobile reportedly sat behind the Nova Plus/Ultra paywall in older versions, but developers may have since removed the string.
All these reveal the features that are a work in progress. Chances are, they may or may not materialize in the stable release of the launcher. It seems Nova Launcher is evolving from being a simple launcher to something more. Like a personal assistant but behind a paywall.
The post Nova Launcher Could Soon Add an AI Assistant and Nova Plus Subscription Tier appeared first on Android Headlines.
