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After March 8, Yahoo's Aviate Launcher will be no more
- Yahoo announced Aviate Launcher will not be supported after March 8.
- The Android launcher will also not receive updates and new content in the Smart Stream.
- Yahoo acquired Aviate and the team behind it in 2014.
Remember Aviate Launcher? The third-party launcher that was released in 2013 and bought by Yahoo in 2014? Yahoo has announced that the launcher will not be supported after March 8.
In a blog post, Yahoo said Aviate will no longer receive new content in the Smart Stream. The launcher will also not receive future updates or support.
Unlike Nova and other launchers, Aviate does not allow for much customization to your home screen. Instead, Aviate’s calling card is its ability to select the apps you likely want to use based on time of day, location, etc. The idea is to have the phone organize around you instead of the other way around.
Google Now might have had the same idea, but Aviate picked up enough steam where Yahoo bought the launcher and the folks behind it for an estimated $80 million. At the time, then-Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said the company would use the technology to personalize its web and mobile applications.
The writing was on the wall for Aviate, however. Many of the 53 companies that Yahoo acquired between 2012 and 2016 were talent and technology acquisitions. Since the Aviate acquisition was believed to be as much about the talent as it was for the technology, folks thought Yahoo would sink the launcher like it did the majority of those 53 companies.
Aviate surprisingly continued to receive updates, though the most recent updated was in May 2017.
If you used Aviate and are looking for something different, check out our 15 favorite Android launchers of 2017.