Nothing has begun rolling out the stable version of Nothing OS 5.0 for the Nothing Phone (3a) and Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, which receive the C5.0-261023-2146 update. Based on Android 17, this new version introduces a significant collection of new features affecting customization, interface, widgets and the camera application, as well as incorporating various improvements to the overall system performance.
Among the most notable changes are the arrival of the Glyph app, the new Translucent theme, more options for customizing the lock screen, and new photography tools. The Collector and Away Time widgets are also included, along with improvements to dark mode and a smoother animation experience. Before installing, Nothing recommends backing up your data, including photos, call logs, and contacts.
Most notable new features of version
Nothing OS 5.0 represents a significant overhaul of the user experience on both devices. The update goes beyond cosmetic changes, expanding customization options and adding new tools to enhance everyday phone use. The camera also receives a number of improvements, while various aspects of the system have been refined for enhanced fluidity and ease of use.
New features
- 🔮 New Glyph app: Designed specifically for the Glyph Interface, it offers faster access to its features and a revamped interactive experience. It's available from the app drawer.
- 🗄️ Separate Notification Panel and Quick Settings: These can now be displayed independently for a cleaner layout and easier access to each section. You can enable this in Settings > Notifications > General > Notifications and Quick Settings.
- ✅ Bulk icon organization: Allows you to organize multiple home screen icons at once. To use it, press and hold on the home screen and select "Organize".
- 🚥 New activity indicator in the status bar: incorporates three colors to identify activities related to accessing sensitive information, location, and AI processing.
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Visual improvements and customization
- 🫧 New Translucent theme: Introduces a frosted glass design to the Launcher, with subtle accent colors inspired by the wallpaper. It can be found in Personalization > Theme & Style > Translucent.
- 🎨 More options for the lock screen clock: it is now possible to customize the color of the clock face.
- 🕰️ Two new clock designs for the lock screen.
- 🎴 New wallpaper in the gallery, with a renewed style.
- 🛜 Refined status bar icons, with a clearer and more consistent design, accompanied by subtle animations.
- 🖋️ New Geist typeface and adjustments to the Settings interface, to improve readability and offer a more uniform design.
- 🌌 Improved animations and transitions in different situations for a smoother experience.
New widgets
- 🪆 Widgets Collector: allow you to transform your photos into decorative elements of different styles for the home screen.
- ⏱️ Away Time Widgets: These track the time you spend away from your screen to help you better understand your daily habits.
- ⏳ Glyph Timer in the widget drawer: You can now access the Glyph Timer directly from this section and use it more conveniently on your home screen.
Camera improvements
- 🎛️ New Tuning section: incorporates seven adjustable effects and an option to reset values.
- 🎞️ Improved Presets: They offer easier editing, more complete cards, Playground integration, and a new 2x2 widget.
- 🎥 More tools for recording video: support for filters and Tuning is added, in addition to Dual-view Video recording.
- ✨ Improvements to various photo functions: recording, zoom, close-up photos, QR code scanning, Google Lens, and Motion Photos playback have all been optimized.
- 📷 Refreshed camera interface, with changes to the design, controls, prompts, and animations.
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General improvements and bug fixes
- 🌑 Extended Dark Mode: This feature automatically applies a dark theme to most apps that don't natively support it. You can configure it in Settings > Display > Dark theme > Use extended dark theme.
- 🔆 Enhanced HDR Brightness: This feature adds an option to adjust the intensity of HDR content for more comfortable viewing. It's available in Settings > Display > Enhanced HDR Brightness.
- 👆 Depth Wallpapers (Beta): now allow you to pinch the screen to reduce its size and offer greater flexibility when customizing them.
- 💊 Improved Live Updates: Features a revamped status bar experience to show ongoing activities.
- 👻 New Noto 3D emojis in Gboard, with a more expressive and eye-catching appearance.
- 🏠 Improved lock screen shortcuts for a more natural interaction.
- 🎧 Bluetooth integrated into Quick Settings: now you can connect or disconnect a device with a single tap on its icon.
System installation and performance
Before upgrading to Nothing OS 5.0, it's recommended to back up your data, especially photos, contacts, and call logs. Nothing also warns that during installation, devices may become warmer and consume more battery than usual. This is temporary, and normal operation will resume once the process is complete.
The rollout of version C5.0-261023-2146 is being done in stages, so it may take some time to appear on all Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro devices. To check if you can install it, go to Settings > System > System update.
If you want to stay informed about the latest news and updates on Nothing and CMF products, you can follow me on X (@ruudhesp), Instagram (@ruudhesp) and TikTok (@nothingtec).
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