Nothing
Nothing OS 3.0 Officially Announced: Top Features You Need to Know
The closed beta phase of the past few weeks has built up to the eventual release of Nothing OS 3.0, announced through the launch of Nothing Ear (open), a massive moment for the company. Carl Pei and his team from Nothing company had been giving hints regarding their latest operating system update over the past few months.
Nothing OS 3.0 Features
The new Nothing OS 3.0 based on Android 15 has several enhancements in design to user experience as follows:
Better Typography and Animations:
These features allow a more well-defined setting for the N-dot font that looks cleaner and far more readable.
A new animation engine brings high-class dot matrix effects to the user interface, more noticeably on the lock screen and weather app.
Lock Screen Customization
Now, users can personalize their lock screens more than ever by switching between different types of clocks or choose to hide the clock and have widgets instead. The most important change here is a stretched analog face for clocks, which will definitely have a novel aesthetic feel.
Redesigned Quick Settings:
Complete personalization of icons, including their size, akin to homescreen widgets, along with an auto-brightness toggle within the brightness slider.
App Drawer Enhancements
App drawer contains features that permit the user to pin the applications they most frequently use to be placed at the top for quicker access. To the user who seeks an interface as organized as possible, there is also Smart Drawer, which organizes the apps automatically.
New Widgets and Sharing Features
There’s a new countdown timer widget- quite great for tracking real-time events. The widgets are something that can be shared with friends and personalized using stickers before sending. The functionality is unknown whether this functionality comes exclusively with Nothing or will be extending to other platforms as well.
Nothing Gallery App with AI Features
- Elimination of Processing delay by 25% by Optimizing Nothing Gallery.
- Using AI, the app can now detect the important moments on images and will automatically retouch it so the subjects in their photographs will stand out.
- Other features that come with the AI Upscaling and Super Resolution, just like Pixel 9 Zoom to Enhance that zooms out details through AI.
- Release Schedule and Future Prospects
Nothing OS 3.0 Release Date
Carl Pei has announced that the open beta for Nothing OS 3.0 will begin in October, while the public release will be in December. Although no dates were provided, the scheduled launch will be at about the time of Android 15, so its release date will coincide to allow sufficient testing before market release.
More than this, however, was merely a teaser of the Nothing Phone (3) that could be shown off during the presentation-a testament to future hardware releases.
I tested Nothing’s Essential Space on the Nothing Phone (3) and OnePlus Mind Space on the OnePlus 11. Both look similar on the surface, but the way they work feels very different. Let’s break it down.
Nothing Essential Space has a dedicated Essential Key button. Just double press, and the app opens instantly. From there, you can create summaries, reminders, or even voice notes. Everything is simple and fast.
OnePlus Mind Space works with a three-finger swipe gesture. It opens smoothly and also creates summaries and reminders, but you need to do more manual steps compared to Nothing.
The big win for Essential Space is that it syncs directly with Google Calendar. Add a reminder once, and it’s already there. You can even record voice notes or use the camera app to analyze photos and auto-generate descriptions.
Mind Space, on the other hand, shines with app-wise sorting. For example, it can organize summaries by WhatsApp, Chrome, or Twitter, which is quite useful. But adding reminders is manual, and sharing options are limited.
Nothing also adds cool exclusive features like Flip-to-Record, where you just flip the phone, hold the key, and it records with Glyph animations. Later, the AI auto-summarizes your entire meeting or talk into English text. Super handy!
Sharing is also easier on Nothing. You can export your notes as an image, PDF, or Markdown and send them anywhere. On OnePlus, you only get the delete option, which feels basic.
Overall, Nothing Essential Space feels more polished and feature-rich, while OnePlus Mind Space is still catching up. The app-wise sorting on OnePlus is neat, but Nothing’s extra features make it the better option for now.
Also did a video for this. You can give it a watch on YouTube:
The CMF Phone 1 has started receiving the August Nothing OS 3.2 update. This update comes with version V3.2-250723-1800 and is sized at 252 MB. It brings new widget features, bug fixes, and several performance improvements.
One of the main highlights is the improvement to widgets. Shared widgets now support more sticker types, making them more fun and customisable. The Countdown widget has received a new Recurring option along with additional shape choices. This means you can set countdowns to repeat automatically. The Pedometer and Screentime widgets can now also be shared, adding more ways to interact and share information.
In the general improvements section, Nothing has added the option to set the Nothing Gallery as the default for previewing photos in Camera settings. The camera itself has also received stability enhancements for a smoother experience. Bluetooth call issues in Telegram, which affected some watches and earbuds, have been fixed.
The update also resolves font display issues in apps like Instagram, Subito, and a few others. On the security side, the August 2025 security patch has been included, ensuring better device protection. Finally, overall system stability has been improved, and performance has been optimised for a smoother user experience.
The August Nothing OS 3.2 update is rolling out gradually, so CMF Phone 1 users may receive it at different times depending on their region.
Nothing has released the August update for the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus, bringing Nothing OS 3.2 with several new improvements and fixes. The update is 259 MB in size and comes with the build number V3.2-250731-1640. It focuses on enhancing the camera experience, fixing bugs, and improving system stability, along with the latest Android security patch.
One of the major changes in this update is in the Camera app. Users can now choose a default album for preview images in the settings, making photo organization more convenient. The update also improves overall camera stability, ensuring smoother performance when taking pictures and recording videos.
Apart from camera enhancements, the update also addresses some important issues. It fixes a problem that caused rapid battery drain when certain smartwatches were connected to the phone. Additionally, it resolves Bluetooth call issues in Telegram when paired with some watches and earbuds.
There are also fixes for text display problems in apps like Instagram, Subito, and others when using the Inter font. Lastly, the update includes the August 2025 Android security patch, which improves the phone’s security and protects it against the latest threats.
With these improvements, the Nothing OS 3.2 August update aims to deliver a smoother and more reliable experience for Nothing Phone (2a) Plus users.