dangers of Nova launcher samsung edge 7

[androidloveryes]

HI I was becoming crazy to receive sound notification and could not find which app prompted the history so I searched google and installed
Nova launcher without t and skipping the setup

1. Install and open Nova Launcher.
2. Long-press an empty spot on the Home screen and select Widgets.
3. Under the "Nova Launcher" section, find Activities and drag it to your screen.
4. A list will open; scroll down to Settings.
5. Tap Settings to see more options, then scroll until you find Notification log.
6. Select it to create a shortcut icon on your Home screen that opens the log directly.
   
   I can now see the notification log great! but

BUt OUPS my phone SCREEN, THE WAY THE APP ICONES ARE SHOWNED ARE DIFFERENT

1CAN i COME BACK TO THE WAY THE SCREEN WAS WORKING BEFORE. AND KEEP THE NOTIFICATION LOG SHORTCUT

2 SHOULD i COME BACK TO THE OLD WAY OF KEEP IT IN THE NEW ARRANGEMENT OF NOVA WHICH PUT ALL THE APP ICON ON THE SAME LONG PAGE.
3 IF iCONTINUE TO USE MY PHONE VIA THE NOVA LAUNCHER WHAT DANGER DOES THAT EXPOSE ME TO SINCE IT SEEMS TO HAVE POWER ON THE PHONE. MAYBE IT IS EASY TO F... UP SOME PHONE SETTINGS WITH THIS WITHOUT REALLY WANTING TO OR WANTING

ANY OTHER THINGS I SHOULD BE AWARE IF I CONTINU TO USE THE PHONE WITH THE NOVA LAUNCHER? THANKS

 

[B. Diddy]

Are you talking about your homescreen or the App Drawer?

Using Nova Launcher itself isn't risky -- you just have to deal with ads now that the original developer sold it to a company that is trying to monetize it. I would say that you're at much more risk using such an old phone. The S7 edge is a 10 year old phone that stopped getting updates a long time ago, and is therefore potentially vulnerable to security flaws that were patched on more current devices.

 

[androidloveryes]

Are you talking about your homescreen or the App Drawer?

Using Nova Launcher itself isn't risky -- you just have to deal with ads now that the original developer sold it to a company that is trying to monetize it. I would say that you're at much more risk using such an old phone. The S7 edge is a 10 year old phone that stopped getting updates a long time ago, and is therefore potentially vulnerable to security flaws that were patched on more current devices.

well the home screen is different and it seems like swiping up make a alphabetic order app on white backgroud appear . Is this what you call the drawer? I dont understand your question since nova probably changes both and more.

---
Interesting what you say can you tell me examples of danger that the security flaw from old phone can do ( I dont use banking app on the phone if that is what you refer too)
How to have an idea of the list of dangers having a old phone comes with concretely? thanks

 

[B. Diddy]

Yes, the App Drawer is the "all apps" list. Nova should have a number of options to customize how the App Drawer works, but some of those customizations might require you to pay extra (it's been a while since I used Nova, ever since it was bought out by Branch).

Here's a Google AI summary of some serious vulnerabilities that have been patched since Android 8.0:


Since Android 8.0 (Oreo) was released in 2017, the Android ecosystem has patched several critical security vulnerabilities that threatened to expose user data, allow remote code execution, or give attackers full control over devices. [1]


Major serious vulnerabilities patched in the years following Android 8.0 include:

• Qualcomm Graphics/Display Component (CVE-2026-21385, March 2026): A zero-day integer overflow flaw affecting 235 Qualcomm chipsets, allowing local attackers to cause memory corruption and gain a foothold on the device.
• Android Runtime & Kernel Elevation of Privilege (CVE-2025-48543 & CVE-2025-38352, September 2025): Actively exploited zero-day flaws allowing a malicious app to bypass Android's sandbox restrictions and achieve elevated privileges, as well as denial of service.
• MediaTek Trustonic TEE Vulnerability (CVE-2026-20435, March 2026): A serious flaw enabling an attacker to bypass the lock screen, extract encryption keys, and access data in under 60 seconds.
• Android System Remote Code Execution (CVE-2026-0006, March 2026): A critical vulnerability in the system component that allows remote code execution without any user interaction or permissions, affecting Android 16.
• "StrandHogg 2.0" (2020): A critical vulnerability that allowed malicious apps to masquerade as legitimate apps, stealing login credentials and personal data without the user noticing.
• "Binder" Vulnerabilities (2019-2020): Multiple vulnerabilities in the Android Binder (the inter-process communication mechanism) that allowed elevation of privilege, essentially allowing root access to the device.
• "WarpSpeed" (2019): A high-severity flaw in Qualcomm's Adreno GPU driver that enabled local privilege escalation.
• Preinstalled App Vulnerabilities (2025): Various security flaws in preinstalled apps from telecom providers that could allow attackers to steal PINs and perform factory resets. [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]

Key Takeaways on Patching:

• Zero-day threats: Even in 2026, researchers are finding vulnerabilities in active exploitation (such as the March 2026 Qualcomm flaw) that require immediate action.
• Targeted attacks: Many of these flaws are used by commercial spyware vendors targeting specific individuals rather than mass consumer attacks.
• Outdated devices: Google warns that devices on Android 12 or older may no longer receive these critical security updates, leaving them at risk. [7, 12, 13]

Users are encouraged to ensure their devices show a security patch level of 2026-03-05 or later to be protected from the most recent critical flaws. [14]

AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses
[1] https://tadviser.com/index.php/Article:Android_security
[2]

[3] https://www.foxnews.com/tech/android-fixes-129-security-flaws-major-phone-update
[4] https://tech.yahoo.com/cybersecurity/articles/android-asap-patch-129-security-133000107.html
[5] https://www.tomsguide.com/computing...ploited-zero-days-update-your-phone-right-now
[6] https://www.tomsguide.com/computing...ploited-zero-days-update-your-phone-right-now
[7] https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-google-android-security-update-129-vulnerabilities/
[8] https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/03/03/android-march-2026-security-patch-cve-2026-21385/
[9] https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/n...an-break-your-lock-screen-in-under-60-seconds
[10] https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/n...erabilities-patched-update-as-soon-as-you-can
[11] https://www.pcmatic.com/blog/new-android-update-addresses-critical-vulnerabilities/
[12] https://wfin.com/fox-technology-news/android-fixes-129-security-flaws-in-major-phone-update/
[13]

[14] https://www.foxbangor.com/news/nati...cle_d949d6f5-4d8f-575d-9545-07221ffe7163.html

 

[androidloveryes]

Yes, the App Drawer is the "all apps" list. Nova should have a number of options to customize how the App Drawer works, but some of those customizations might require you to pay extra (it's been a while since I used Nova, ever since it was bought out by Branch).

Here's a Google AI summary of some serious vulnerabilities that have been patched since Android 8.0:


Since Android 8.0 (Oreo) was released in 2017, the Android ecosystem has patched several critical security vulnerabilities that threatened to expose user data, allow remote code execution, or give attackers full control over devices. [1]


Major serious vulnerabilities patched in the years following Android 8.0 include:

• Qualcomm Graphics/Display Component (CVE-2026-21385, March 2026): A zero-day integer overflow flaw affecting 235 Qualcomm chipsets, allowing local attackers to cause memory corruption and gain a foothold on the device.
• Android Runtime & Kernel Elevation of Privilege (CVE-2025-48543 & CVE-2025-38352, September 2025): Actively exploited zero-day flaws allowing a malicious app to bypass Android's sandbox restrictions and achieve elevated privileges, as well as denial of service.
• MediaTek Trustonic TEE Vulnerability (CVE-2026-20435, March 2026): A serious flaw enabling an attacker to bypass the lock screen, extract encryption keys, and access data in under 60 seconds.
• Android System Remote Code Execution (CVE-2026-0006, March 2026): A critical vulnerability in the system component that allows remote code execution without any user interaction or permissions, affecting Android 16.
• "StrandHogg 2.0" (2020): A critical vulnerability that allowed malicious apps to masquerade as legitimate apps, stealing login credentials and personal data without the user noticing.
• "Binder" Vulnerabilities (2019-2020): Multiple vulnerabilities in the Android Binder (the inter-process communication mechanism) that allowed elevation of privilege, essentially allowing root access to the device.
• "WarpSpeed" (2019): A high-severity flaw in Qualcomm's Adreno GPU driver that enabled local privilege escalation.
• Preinstalled App Vulnerabilities (2025): Various security flaws in preinstalled apps from telecom providers that could allow attackers to steal PINs and perform factory resets. [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]

Key Takeaways on Patching:

• Zero-day threats: Even in 2026, researchers are finding vulnerabilities in active exploitation (such as the March 2026 Qualcomm flaw) that require immediate action.
• Targeted attacks: Many of these flaws are used by commercial spyware vendors targeting specific individuals rather than mass consumer attacks.
• Outdated devices: Google warns that devices on Android 12 or older may no longer receive these critical security updates, leaving them at risk. [7, 12, 13]

Users are encouraged to ensure their devices show a security patch level of 2026-03-05 or later to be protected from the most recent critical flaws. [14]

AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses
[1] https://tadviser.com/index.php/Article:Android_security
[2]

[3] https://www.foxnews.com/tech/android-fixes-129-security-flaws-major-phone-update
[4] https://tech.yahoo.com/cybersecurity/articles/android-asap-patch-129-security-133000107.html
[5] https://www.tomsguide.com/computing...ploited-zero-days-update-your-phone-right-now
[6] https://www.tomsguide.com/computing...ploited-zero-days-update-your-phone-right-now
[7] https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-google-android-security-update-129-vulnerabilities/
[8] https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/03/03/android-march-2026-security-patch-cve-2026-21385/
[9] https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/n...an-break-your-lock-screen-in-under-60-seconds
[10] https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/n...erabilities-patched-update-as-soon-as-you-can
[11] https://www.pcmatic.com/blog/new-android-update-addresses-critical-vulnerabilities/
[12] https://wfin.com/fox-technology-news/android-fixes-129-security-flaws-in-major-phone-update/
[13]

[14] https://www.foxbangor.com/news/nati...cle_d949d6f5-4d8f-575d-9545-07221ffe7163.html

Hi thanks , you seem to be well informed. What do you think about the privacy issue that comes with the ai especialle the phones since 2024 or so that have ai chips? thanks

 

[B. Diddy]

Hi thanks , you seem to be well informed. What do you think about the privacy issue that comes with the ai especialle the phones since 2024 or so that have ai chips? thanks

You're talking to a bit of a tech dinosaur , so I'm very very wary of AI, and think a lot of it is garbage. I know that there are legitimately good uses for it, and that it will continue to improve (at least, in terms of accuracy), but on the whole, it's still a net negative for humanity at this time.