The most-anticipated update has been released from Nothing which is Nothing OS 3.0 Closed Beta 1 based on Android 15. This would change dramatically from its predecessors by offering a host of new features and a fresh redesign for better user interaction.
The update has been released only for Nothing Phone (2a) CBT users, but somehow I got my hands on it without getting into the test program. For this major update, the size was 1.82 GB and the time taken for installing was around 20 minutes.
What’s new in Nothing OS 3.0?
1. New Boot Animation:
Nothing OS 3.0 comes with a new boot animation. Its minimalistic thinking has removed the ‘Nothing OS’ text that used to conventionally appear. It has come into the version under closed beta testing and may see further changes after considering feedback from its users.
2. Revambed Lockscreen and AOD
The first thing you might notice using Android 13 is the size and thinning of fonts on the lock screen, moving away even more from dotted fonts that were occupied previously. The date and day alignment has also moved for better readability and viewing aesthetics. These then carried over to AOD, creating a similar look throughout the system.
3. Improved Fingerprint Animation
The fingerprint animation has been improved and, when the phone is unlocked, it gives a more subtle hint. For now, there is no option to customize this, but it further adds to the overall smoothness of the device’s interface.
4. New Quick Settings Panel
The quick settings panel has been majorly redesigned to display fewer tiles per swipe. Besides this, a new white background in light mode automatically flips to dark when the dark theme is flipped on. The brightness slider has been moved to the bottom for convenience-a subtle yet practical tweak.
5. Improved Settings Menu
The settings menu has been redesigned for more clarity and better organization of each option within the menu. Now, every setting is a bit more compartmentalized, allowing users to navigate to their setting without having to sift through an interface that’s full to the brim.
6. App Archiving Feature
Nothing OS 3.0 has provided an app-archiving feature within that space management, which enables users to free up space without deleting app data. This feature will maintain the app data till a time the user decides to restore or remove the application fully.
7. Device Diagnostics Tools
For the first time available on Nothing OS 3.0, the device diagnostics tools allow users to monitor in-depth their device component health. This includes tests for display and touch responsiveness manually among others to a detailed battery health and cycle count report.
In addition to these numerous improvements, some areas remain the same or are still under construction: for example, haptic feedback for sliders and several fingerprint animation customizations are nowhere to be found, and neither can you find predictive gesture features and special gaming settings updated in this release.
Community Feedback and Future Updates
Reactions within the community have been mixed, where some users love the cleaner and more organized interface, but others are still hoping for more options to bring in personalization choices. Since Nothing OS 3.0 is still in beta, then future updates are expected to address these concerns and maybe even bring in new features based on what the users are saying.
The next update Nothing OS 3.0 CBT 2 will be released end of this month or next
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