If you’re a Nothing Phone 1 owner, you’ve probably been anticipating the rollout of Nothing OS 2.5. The update, which is fueled byAndroid 14, comes with a slew of new features that enhance performance and UI alike. Now, the long wait is over — Nothing OS 2.5 is officially rolling out in beta for all Nothing Phone 1 devices.
Nothing announcedon its community page that Nothing OS 2.5 is now in beta testing on the Nothing Phone 1. Don’t let the oddx.5branding fool you, though — this is one of the biggest updates the phone has seen to date, but Nothing reserves thex.0branding for major updates to its OEM skin rather than Android version updates like this one.
Some of the features that come with Nothing OS 2.5 are UI and customization-based. For example, solid color wallpapers and a monochrome color theme are now options for users. Support for more gestures has been added as well, which can help with screenshot capturing and lock screen shortcuts. Finally, Nothing OS 2.5 has stability improvements for device cameras, new Quick Settings layout options, and volume control enhancements. The full changelog (edited for clarity) can be viewed below:
Customization
New Widgets
More improvements
While Nothing OS 2.5 enters beta for Nothing Phone 1 owners, Nothing Phone 2 users are now getting their first taste of the stable OS, powered by Android 14. As the company noted on theNothingcommunity page, this comes after testing by users in an open beta period, which ran fromOctober 11throughDecember 15, to give you an idea of the development timeline you might expect for the Phone 1.
Interestingly, the Nothing OS 2.5 beta program opened up for Nothing Phone 1 owners less than a week after the stable version launched for the Nothing Phone 2. At the time, it was assumed that the Phone 1 beta would come before 2024, but not as soon as it did, so this is a welcome surprise for those who have been waiting to see what else developers have up their sleeves.
Thus far, Nothing has been positively received by consumers — especially those who are looking for a device with bells and whistles, but less bloatware. The company is rumored to be planning thelaunch of a Nothing Phone 2a, and it could come as soon as MWC Barcelona in February 2024. Some believe that it may also be at a lower price point, but offer similar robust features. Given the more budget-friendly price tag of Nothing’s existing models, the release of such a phone could help it surge in popularity.
For those interested in trying this beta today, you’ll just need to sideloadan APK provided by Nothing(also available inNothing’s forum post), then head toSettings → System → Update to Beta version. As long as your phone was already running the latest Nothing OS update, you should then be offered an OTA update for Nothing OS 2.5, which will install like any other.
