Recently, Nothing company released the stable version of Nothing OS 2.5.1 update based on Android 14 for Phone (2) and Nothing OS 2.5 Open beta update for Phone (1). The update brings lots of new features and improvements in customization, Glyph Interface, gestures, and overall user interface along with improving the performance of the devices.
Both the Phone (1) and Phone (2) have most of the same features, with some exclusive features on Phone (2). All the new features that are marked with (*) are exclusive to Nothing Phone (2) and are not available in Phone (1) as of now.
Customization
1. A Redesigned joint page for Home Screen and Lock Screen customization
Nothing has redesigned the customization menu with Nothing OS 2.5 earlier home screen was customizable from the home page but for other settings like widgets and icon packs you had to go through settings, also lock screen customization was hidden in settings. But now whenever you open the customization menu you get the option to customize both the Home Screen and lock screen together and all the settings like widgets, shortcuts, and colours can be changed from there itself which is more cleaner and better than the previous version.
2. New Atmosphere wallpaper effect
A new wallpaper effect has been added, which transforms your background photo into a dynamic wallpaper that brings motion to colours on your home screen and provides a seamless transition between your home screen and lock screen. Basically, it makes a smooth transition from Lock screen to Blurry Home screen with some motion effect on your wallpaper. You need to have same wallpaper for both the home screen and lock screen to use this effect for smooth transition.
How to apply atmosphere effect to your wallpaper
- Long Press on the Home screen and select ‘Customisation’ from the pop-up menu.
- Then select a wallpaper from the wallpaper gallery and select the tick mark in the top corner.
- Turn on the atmosphere effect from the bottom and select done.
3. New Glass Filter wallpaper Effect *
This effect adds a Glass filter to give your favorite wallpaper a unique appearance. It adds vertical lines and a glass-like reflective effect to any wallpaper.
How to apply the Glass filter effect to your wallpaper
- Long Press on the Home screen and select ‘Customisation’ from the pop-up menu.
- Then select a wallpaper from the wallpaper gallery and select the tick mark in the top corner.
- Turn on the glass filter effect from the bottom and select Done.
4. New solid colour wallpapers
Some solid colour wallpapers have been added to the wallpaper library. You can select any solid color Wallpaper for HomeScreen and LockScreen. Currently, there are limited colours for solid wallpapers. These wallpapers can be found in the customization menu by tapping on ‘More wallpapers’ and scrolling down the wallpaper library.
5. Monochrome colour theme
A new monochrome colour theme is added to the basic color section. It applies the monochrome effect to all the parts of the UI like Quick settings, settings app and other parts of the OS. This is best when paired with nothing monochrome icon pack. To apply the monochrome colour theme open the customization menu and then tap on Colours > Basic colours and then select the Monochrome theme.
Gestures
1. Customisable double-press power button
The double-press power button has been given more functionality by adding more options to quickly access a chosen feature. Earlier the double-press power button was assigned to open the camera app but now more features like a torch, QR code scanner, Glyph timer, Mute, Video camera, and Do Not Disturb are added to it. You can also assign to open any app or its shortcut directly by pressing the power button twice.
How to customize double press power button
- Go to Settings > System > Gestures > Double-press power button
- Select any option to access it quickly or select any app from Apps & app shortcuts.
2. More Lock Screen Shortcut options
A few more lock screen shortcuts like Do Not Disturb, QR Code Scanner and Video Camera have been added. To use the lock screen shortcut Go to settings > Lock screen > Lock screen shortcut and select shortcuts for both the left and right buttons.
3. Three-finger screenshot gesture
Three-finger screenshot gesture has been finally added to Nothing OS. Now you can capture a screenshot by swiping down or swipe down and hold with three fingers to take a screenshot of a specific area. To enable a three-finger screenshot gesture Go to Settings > System> Gestures > Screenshot gesture.
4. New screenshot editor and menu
A new screenshot editor and menu have been added so whenever you take a screenshot you get a small menu in the bottom left corner of the screen with options to quickly share or delete a screenshot or take a long screenshot. Tapping on the menu takes you to the screenshot editor where you can crop the image or doodle on it with pens of different strokes and colours. You can also share or delete a screenshot directly from the editor.
5. Refreshed Back gesture arrow
The back gesture arrow has been redesigned in the dotted form to be more in line with Nothing’s design.
Glyph Interface
1. Glyph Progress integration for Google Calendar *
Google Calendar has been integrated into Glyph Progress so that you can keep track of your upcoming events with a 5-minute countdown on the Glyph Interface. To enable it go to Settings > Glyph Interface > Glyph Progress > Google Calendar.
2. Time presets for Glyph Timer *
Glyph Timer now supports time presets, allowing you to quickly set your desired duration. You can quickly set a timer for 5, 10, or 15 min or even add your desired preset and use them later by just tapping on them.
3. Access Glyph Timer quickly from the lock screen *
You can now access Glyph Timer directly from the lock screen without unlocking the device. Just Add a Glyph timer as a quick settings widget to lock the screen Widget and access it by unlocking the device. A single tap on the widget lets you select the time for the Glyph Timer.
4. Glyph animation when NFC is being used
A new Glyph animation is added whenever you use NFC on your smartphone or tap it on a NFC device. This works with both Phone (1) and Phone (2).
5. Improved the experience of Flip to Glyph
Nothing has also mentioned that they have improved the experience with the Flip to Glyph feature. Flip to Glyph now works seamlessly whenever you pick up and put your phone down again without any issues.
6. Added option to open Glyph Timer popup by tapping on it
Now you can open the Glyph Timer popup by simply tapping on it instead of holding it to accommodate for the Quick Settings widget in the notification panel.
New Widgets
Nothing has added three new widgets with Nothing OS 2.5 update . The pedometer widget, Screen time widget, and a media player widget.
1. Pedometer Widget: The Pedometer widget is an amazing widget which lets you monitor your step count. You can set your daily step goal and then the widget shows your progress through a visualization of a man walking on a dotted path to display the progress. You can swipe up on widget to check daily step count and 7-day step count average. Then swipe up again to view monthly snapshots of daily goals and streaks calendar.
2. Media Player Widget: The Media Player widget displays the song currently playing from any music app on your phone. It also shows the album cover art on the widget. You can swipe up vertically on the widget to view artists and music info with the app icon from which the music is playing; tapping on the icon also takes you to the app from which the music is playing. To Play or pause the music you can simply tap on the widget and swipe left or right to navigate through albums or podcasts from any media source. The widget provides seamless integration with all the music apps.
3. Screen Time widget: Screen Time widget lets you monitor your screen time on your smartphone. It has a very unique implementation where a smartphone with a face icon is the widget and it turns red and shows sad emotion when you exceed your screen time limit otherwise it stays happy and white. You can also adjust your daily screen time limit and also swipe up on the widget to check your screen time and time over the screen time limit.
To use these new widgets first you need to update your Phone to the latest Nothing OS 2.5 update based on Android 14 (to update go to Settings > System > System update) and also update the Nothing Launcher and Nothing Widgets apps on the Play Store. Then tap on the home screen and select widgets from the Nothing Widgets section in the Widget gallery.
Other features
1. Updated Volume Control Interface
Nothing OS 2.5 Brings an updated volume control interface that lets you adjust ringtone and notification sound volumes separately. The animations have been also tweaked for the volume adjustments.
2. Updated Quick Settings layout and support to show more device icons
The Quick settings layout has been changed and new squared tiles for Network and Bluetooth quick settings. A Nothing style clock has been also added at the top left corner. Also, the Bluetooth quick settings now support icons for more devices. The brightness control has been also made thicker than before with new animations. Android 14 also brings animations when toggle on/off the quick settings.
3. Mistouch Prevention
This feature was present in Phone (2) even before this update but now it has been also added to Phone (1) with Nothing OS 2.5. It basically prevents screen touches while your device is in your pocket.
Improvements with Nothing OS 2.5
- Enhanced overall system stability for a more reliable and smooth experience
- Optimized the experience of the Weather app and improved the notification of weather alerts.
- Improved the stability of the camera.
- improvements to battery life.
- performance improvements with increased efficiency and stability.
- faster app opening speeds and smoother animations.
Nothing OS 2.5 is the first major update since the Nothing OS 2.0 as it brings the latest Android 14 versions and its features with some more features and useful touches to the UI from Nothing which further enhances the experience of Nothing OS. Nothing OS 2.5 is the second step of adding the nothing taste to the OS and it has been done while maintaining the efficiency and functionality of the OS.
YOU CAN FOLLOW US ON– Telegram, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Google News