VulcanVulcan
A home screen for Android that does what Nova does, with no internet access at all.
Built like an appliance, not a phone skin.
Warm-grey panels, small printed labels, and one orange dot for whatever is live. Your wallpaper and your apps' own icons are left alone. Every Nova-style option is still in settings when you want it.
Nothing it does can leave your phone.
Vulcan doesn't ask Android for internet access, so it has no way to send anything anywhere. There are no ads, analytics or crash reports. That's in the app's permission list, where anyone can check it.
Notifications are counted in memory and never saved.
Find people from the app drawer, and favourite contacts on the Now page.
Upcoming events on the Now page.
Uses an accessibility service that can't read anything on your screen.
Uses the last location your phone already knows. The sun times are worked out on the phone.
What Nova sends, and what Vulcan doesn't.
Nova Launcher changed owners in 2022 and again in January 2026, and picked up ads and trackers along the way. This is what the current version contains.
| What | Nova Launcher 8.9.4 | Vulcan |
|---|---|---|
| Internet access | Yes | None. It can't send anything. |
| Activity log | Records the Wi-Fi networks you join, Bluetooth devices (name and hardware address), every app you open from the home screen, app usage, and apps you install or remove. Uploaded to Nova's server every 8 hours. | Nothing is recorded or sent. |
| Opting out of the log | No setting for it was found. | Nothing to opt out of. |
| Analytics and tracking | Firebase, Sentry, Amplitude, TikTok and Branch. | None. |
| Ads | Six ad networks (Pangle, Vungle, Moloco, Fyber, Meta, AdMob), chosen by Nova's server. Not shown to Prime users. | None. |
| AI features | Instabridge AI can collect contacts, calendar, location, apps, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and sync them to its server, if you agree. | None. Contacts and calendar are only read on the phone, and only if you turn those cards on. |
| Source code | Closed. | Public on GitHub, MIT license. |
The Nova column comes from reading the code of the Nova Launcher 8.9.4 app (October 2026) without running it, so it shows what the app contains, not what it sent from any one phone. How this was checked.
Bring your Nova home screen with you.
Your apps, folders, dock, grid size and most shortcuts come over. Widgets have to be added again.
- In Nova, open Nova Settings → Backup & import settings → Backup and save the file.
- In Vulcan, long-press an empty spot, then tap Settings → Backup & restore → Import a launcher backup and pick that file.
Nova's depth, kept out of the way.
Sensible defaults out of the box. Everything else is in settings.
- Your layout
- Grids up to 12 by 12, up to 9 pages, resizable widgets, and a dock you can hide or scroll.
- Find apps fast
- An A to Z drawer with search under your thumb, a letter index, and tabs or folders to group apps.
- Gestures
- Swipe, double-tap or pinch to open notifications, an app, the drawer or the screen lock. Each icon can have its own swipe-up action.
- Your look
- Icon packs, icon shapes, your own icons and labels, folder styles, and a scheduled night mode.
- Long-press an app
- Its shortcuts, notifications, app info or uninstall.
- The Now page
- Swipe right on the first page for the date, music controls, upcoming events and favourite contacts.
Calm by default. Power when you want it.
Download the APK, open it on your phone, then press Home and pick Vulcan. F-Droid is on the way. The dusk wallpaper is free to use.
