- As previously announced, Nothing has released the open beta version of its next-generation custom OS, “Nothing OS 5.0,” for three Android device models: “Phone (4a),” “Phone (3a) Pro,” and “Phone (3a).”
- Users can easily install it by downloading the “Nothing Beta Hub” app v2.0, available as an APK file on the target devices.
- However, since this is a beta OS, bugs and issues may occur.
On Monday, September 21, 2026 (local time), British tech venture “Nothing Technology (Nothing)” released the open beta version of its next-generation custom OS, “Nothing OS 5.0,” for three of its Android device models: “Phone (4a),” “Phone (3a) Pro,” and “Phone (3a).”
The open beta version of “Nothing OS 5.0” is an optional beta OS, as the name suggests. It can be easily installed by downloading the “Nothing Beta Hub” app v2.0—available as an APK file on the “Nothing OS 5.0” Special Website—onto your target device.
However, because it is a beta OS, the occurrence of bugs and issues is expected. For this reason, installation is entirely optional and performed at your own risk.
| ■ Important Notes on the “Nothing OS 5.0” Open Beta |
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“Nothing OS 5.0” is based on the new-generation Android OS, “Android 17,” and introduces multiple new features. It was first released for the “Phone (3)”, followed by the “Phone (4a) Pro”.
And now, it has been released for the three models: “Phone (4a),” “Phone (3a) Pro,” and “Phone (3a).” Over the coming months, supported devices for the “Nothing OS 5.0” open beta will continue to expand sequentially, with the official version of “Nothing OS 5.0” beginning its rollout in mid-October 2026.
However, “Nothing OS 5.0” will not be provided for the second-generation Nothing Android device “Phone (2)”—which has reached the end of its 3-year major OS update support window since its release—nor for the “CMF Phone 1” released in 2024.
Timings are indicative and subject to change. Rollout will be phased by region and carrier where applicable, Phone (1), Phone (2) and CMF Phone 1 have reached the end of major software support and will not receive Nothing OS 5.0.
“Nothing OS 5.0” Release Schedule
| ■ “Nothing OS 5.0” Open Beta |
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| ■ “Nothing OS 5.0” Official Version |
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Revamped Design
In “Nothing OS 5.0,” the overall design receives a complete overhaul, refreshing system-wide typography, icons, spacing, textures, and motions.
One of the most significant changes is the adoption of the new system font, “Geist.” Selected by the design team to enhance existing legibility while maintaining the unique individuality characteristic of “Nothing OS,” it plays a role in boosting visual consistency across the entire system, including settings screens, widgets, and menus.
Additionally, the settings screen has been refined with revised icons, spacing, and corner shapes, consolidating frequently used items to improve visibility and usability. Status bar icons also feature a new design, displaying status changes such as signal strength and battery with more intuitive animations. Furthermore, the camera app’s icon and control system have been refreshed, introducing minor usability improvements like locking QR code recognition results on the screen.
In the “Nothing Gallery” app, photo sorting/filtering functions and the album screen have been redesigned, reflecting a new design language utilizing translucent materials throughout.
Wallpaper-Synced Personalization Features
“Nothing OS 5.0” introduces a new personalization feature where the color schemes of app icons and widgets automatically adapt in sync with the wallpaper’s color tones.
On the lock screen, two new additions include “Gooey,” a clock face featuring fluid shapes, and “Micrographics,” which bundles and displays the date, weather, and schedule. Both support color settings reflecting the wallpaper. On the home screen, a bulk-editing feature has been added, allowing users to select multiple icons and widgets together and move them across pages in batches, reducing the hassle of layout adjustments.
In addition, several new widgets and apps have been added, including “Away Time”—a new widget that visualizes the time you spent away from interacting with your smartphone—”Collector,” which displays photos collected from the camera or “Nothing Gallery” app as a collection on the home screen/lock screen, “Glyph”—a dedicated app to centrally manage Glyph Interface-related functions, sounds, and schedules—and the “Glyph Timer” widget, which lets you launch a timer directly from the home screen.
Please note that the home screen applying the new design theme with translucent materials and the “Micrographics” clock face are currently still under development and will not be rolled out in the “Nothing OS 5.0” open beta. They are scheduled for release in the official version of “Nothing OS 5.0.”
UI Acceleration
“Nothing OS 5.0” accelerates the UI by improving responsiveness in daily operations such as app launching, scrolling, touch tracking, and multitasking.
Through optimized background management, more resources are allocated to apps currently in use, while frequently used apps can stay in standby in the background, reducing reload frequency. Furthermore, if you reverse a gesture midway through an operation, the animation will now track backward accordingly, achieving more natural movement across apps, folders, widgets, and the multitasking screen as a whole.
The Bluetooth “Quick Settings Tile” has also been redesigned, allowing users to search, connect, or disconnect nearby devices with a single tap.
“Essential AI” Feature Updates
As an update to Essential AI-related features, processing speed in the voice memo feature “Essential Voice” has been improved, allowing for cleaner and better-formatted transcriptions.
It automatically distinguishes between content that should be kept as paragraphs and tasks or requirements that should be bulleted, while displaying spoken content as text in real time. Additionally, a multilingual “Real-Time Translation” feature is scheduled to be added later this year.
In “Essential Space,” a “Smart Collections” feature will be added to automatically suggest relevant items from existing saved content when creating a new collection. It also includes a feature that suggests creating a new collection when common topics are found across multiple saved items.
Furthermore, support for the “Model Context Protocol (MCP)” is introduced, allowing compatible external AI platforms to search and reference saved contents within “Essential Space.” MCP will be read-only at the initial release, with MCP support via “Google Play” planned for rollout in October 2026.
Additionally, the “Essential Apps Builder” app is newly added, enabling users to create “Essential Apps” directly on their smartphone, which were previously only creatable on the web. With the “Essential Apps Builder” app, simply by describing the tool you want to build in natural language, you can create widgets and tools to place on your home screen without writing any code.
“Android 17” New Features
“Nothing OS 5.0” also rolls out multiple new features implemented in the base next-generation Android OS, “Android 17.”
A wide range of improvements has been added, including a “Split Mode” that separates the notification panel and quick settings tiles into left and right swipes; enhanced “Quick Share” capabilities to send and receive files via QR codes and browsers regardless of whether it’s iPhone or Android; a floating control panel for easier operation during screen recording; a privacy indicator color-coded into three colors (green, blue, yellow) on the status bar for location sharing and AI data processing; “Live Info” displaying app progress as a capsule on the status bar; “Noto 3D” emojis adding three-dimensional expression; an “Expanded Dark Theme” allowing dark theme application settings per app; “Assistant Volume” adjustable separately from media volume; “HDR Brightness Correction” that brightens only the highlight areas of HDR photos/videos without raising overall screen brightness; and a revamped “Recent Apps” screen featuring a pill-shaped menu consolidating actions like “Split Screen” and “App Info.”
Source: Nothing (https://nothing.community/d/61761-nothing-os-50-open-beta-is-here)