Nothing
Nothing OS 4.0 Update: Everything You Need to Know About Lock Glimpse and Partner Apps
Nothing has started rolling out the Nothing OS 4.0 Open Beta for the Phone (3a) series, introducing a major new feature called Lock Glimpse. This feature works like a lock screen magazine — it automatically changes wallpapers every time you wake the screen and shows a short description of the image. If you tap on it, it opens a related web page.
While the feature looks visually appealing, many users have expressed concern that it feels more like an advertisement than a functional addition. However, Nothing clarified that Lock Glimpse is optional — users can turn it on or off anytime through the phone’s settings. In future updates, users will even be able to use their own gallery photos for Lock Glimpse wallpapers.
Alongside this, Nothing announced that it will start including a selection of third-party partner apps and services in upcoming updates, especially on non-flagship devices like the Phone (3a), Phone (3a) Pro, Phone (2a), and CMF series. These pre-installed apps will include popular ones such as Instagram and may come with deeper integration for better performance, improved camera access, and sharing features. The company said this decision is aimed at improving user experience while keeping software clean and minimal.
Nothing’s co-founder explained that, as a young company, maintaining growth while developing both hardware and software from scratch is challenging. Including selected partner apps helps sustain revenue without increasing product prices, similar to what established brands like Samsung already do. Still, Nothing promises transparency, saying that all partner apps will remain minimal, removable, and clearly disclosed.
Nothing has officially released the Nothing OS 4.0 Open Beta update for the Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro. The update brings a fresh design, new features, and several visual changes across the system. The update size is around 2.21GB, and users can install it through the Nothing Beta Hub app.
Before installing, users are advised to back up their data, as this is an open beta version and may include minor bugs or stability issues.
Key Highlights of Nothing OS 4.0 Open Beta for Phone (3a)
1. Lock Glimpse
A new feature called Lock Glimpse has been introduced, which refreshes your lock screen wallpaper automatically with stunning images and short text descriptions. However, users have pointed out that it feels more like an ad feature, as tapping on the description opens an external page. Thankfully, this feature can be disabled through the settings.
2. New App Icons
Nothing has redesigned several of its system app icons with a cleaner, minimal look. Updated icons include:
- Recorder
- Weather
- Essential Space
- Camera
- Gallery
- Nothing X
These new icons use a simpler black-and-white theme, replacing the older red-and-black accent style.
3. UI and System Changes
The update brings a number of small but noticeable interface changes:
- Pop-Up View: Now supports two floating windows for multitasking.
- New Lock Screen Clock Faces: Two additional clock styles are now available.
- Quick Settings Tiles: Support for larger 2×2 tile sizes and refreshed edit icons.
- Extra Dark Mode: A new “Extra Dark” option provides deeper blacks and better contrast.
- Updated About Page: The device information layout now has a new, modern design.
- Revamped Recorder App: New UI layout with smoother animations and a redesigned recording disc.
Camera and Widget Improvements
A new “Stretch” camera preset has been added under presets, providing creative control when shooting photos. In addition, Essential Apps and Playground features now allow users to explore and create community-based widgets and presets using AI tools.
Android 16 and AI Usage Dashboard
This update is based on Android 16, and it introduces a new AI Usage Dashboard under the Intelligence Toolkit. It tracks the AI models used during photo editing, app features, and more—giving users insight into how AI is being used across the system.
Performance and Stability
After installation, the system optimizes all apps in the background for faster app launches. Overall, the update feels smoother, with stable Wi-Fi and calling performance. However, as it’s still in beta, users may prefer waiting for the stable Nothing OS 4.0 release if they want a bug-free experience.
Final Thoughts
The Nothing OS 4.0 Open Beta for the Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro introduces visual refinements and interesting new features like Lock Glimpse and Extra Dark Mode. While not all users will appreciate the ad-like wallpaper feature, the update continues Nothing’s minimal and creative design approach.
Nothing has released a new Nothing OS 3.2 September update for the Nothing Phone (1). The update focuses mainly on improving system stability and fixing several minor bugs. Even though it’s October, this update includes the September 2025 security patch, not the latest October patch.
The update size is 65.87 MB, and users can manually check for it by going to:
Settings → System → System Update → Check for Update.
After installation, the build number changes to 1631, and the security patch date updates to September 1, 2025. Installation takes around 10–12 minutes, depending on your device’s speed.
What’s New in the Update:
- Photo Widget Improvement: The Photo Widget now properly fills space when resized to a 4×2 layout.
- Profile Picture Fix: A bug that caused the profile picture not to display correctly in Settings has been fixed.
- Media Player Enhancements: Album cover and song information errors in the media player and its widget are now resolved.
- Better Car Compatibility: Bluetooth and GPS connections with cars are now more stable.
- Bluetooth Stability: Overall Bluetooth performance has been optimized for smoother connections.
- System Smoothness: Nothing has refined the overall system stability for better day-to-day performance.
- Security Update: Updated to the latest September 2025 Security Patch.
After testing the update, users reported no major performance issues. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and calling functions all work smoothly. The update is recommended for all users as it enhances the overall reliability of the device.
Additionally, Nothing Gallery recently received a separate update that added new video editing tools such as crop, exposure, contrast, and filter adjustments, making it more useful for quick edits on the go.
While Nothing Phone (1) will not receive Android 16 (Nothing OS 4.0), which is currently available on the Nothing Phone (3), it’s good to see that the company is still providing regular security patches and minor improvements to its first-generation device.
Nothing has released a new OTA update for the CMF Phone 1. This update is based on Nothing OS 3.2 (September patch) and mainly focuses on improving system performance and fixing minor bugs. Even though it’s already October, the company has rolled out the September update for CMF Phone 1 users.
The update size is 63.90 MB, and it installs successfully in about 10 minutes. After installing, users can see the updated build number ending with 18843-ID. The Android security patch is dated September 1, 2025, and matches the latest Google Play system update once updated manually.
What’s New in This Update
- Photo Widget Improvement:
The photo widget now fills the full space when resized to a 4×2 format, making it look more complete on the home screen. - Media Player Bug Fixes:
Issues related to album cover and song info display in the media player and widget have been fixed. Users can now see correct song details and album art while using apps like Spotify. - System Stability Improvements:
Overall system stability and smoothness have been slightly optimized, though most users won’t notice a major difference.
Why This Update Matters
This is likely a preparation update before the major Nothing OS 4.0 rollout. Currently, Nothing OS 4.0 has been released for Nothing Phone (2), Phone (2a), Phone (2a) Plus, and Phone (3). However, the CMF Phone 1 and CMF Phone 2 Pro are not part of the open beta program.
According to Nothing’s official community post, both devices will directly receive the stable Nothing OS 4.0 update later, instead of joining the beta phase.
When Will CMF Phone 1 Get Nothing OS 4.0?
Nothing has confirmed that CMF Phone 1 will get the stable Nothing OS 4.0 update at a later date, possibly between November and December 2025. This upcoming update is expected to bring Android 16-based features, design changes, and performance improvements.