Nothing OS 5.0 Android 17 rolls out to Phone 4a and 3a series

Nothing released the stable Nothing OS 5.0 update, built on Android 17, for the Phone 4a, 4a Pro, 3a and 3a Pro. Tech-ish reported that the finished builds were uploaded on Friday 30 October 2026, earlier than the early November window on the company's timeline. 9to5Google and Android Central also reported the rollout began that day.

The update is arriving in waves, so some users will see it days before others and availability can differ by region and handset. The changelogs tell people to back up contacts, call logs and photos before installing, and warn that the phone may become warmer and consume more power during installation. The update carries build C5.0-261021-1625 on the 4a Pro, C5.0-261023-2145 on the 4a, and C5.0-261023-2146 on the 3a and 3a Pro. To check, open Settings > System > System update.

A new split pull-down shade separates notifications and Quick Settings; it can be switched on by going to Settings, Notifications, General, then Notifications and Quick Settings. Quick Settings now lets a single tap toggle a Bluetooth connection, and long-pressing the home screen and choosing Arrange allows moving multiple icons together. A Translucent theme borrows colours from the wallpaper to create a frosted-glass effect, and the lock screen adds two new clock faces with a selectable clock colour. A new three-colour indicator in the status bar appears when the phone uses sensitive permissions, location, or background AI processing.

Glyph Interface lights now live in a dedicated app in the app drawer instead of being spread across menus. A home-screen Glyph Timer widget runs a countdown, while an Away Time widget measures how long you spend off the phone. An Expanded Dark theme forces dark mode on most apps that do not support it natively.

Camera changes vary by model. Dual-view Video works on all four phones and records from both front and rear cameras at once. On the 3a and 3a Pro, the changelogs add Tuning with seven adjustable effects, upgraded Presets, and support for Filters and Tuning while filming. The 4a and 4a Pro changelogs do not mention Tuning. Nothing says Essential Voice transcription is "faster with reduced latency" on the 4a and 4a Pro, but the 3a changelog omits Essential Voice.

Nothing has not specified the included Android security patch, the download size, or which regions receive it first. Open beta currently covers the Phone 2a and 2a Plus. The CMF Phone 2 Pro and Phone 3a Lite are scheduled to skip beta and go straight to the finished version; the Phone 4b will follow later because its Android 17 work started later, Nothing says. CMF Phone 1, Phone 1, and Phone 2 will not get Nothing OS 5.0 because their major software support period has ended.

For both series, Nothing has committed to three years of Android OS updates and six years of security patches. The 3a and 3a Pro, released in March 2025, will receive Android updates until early 2028. The 4a and 4a Pro, released in March 2026, will receive them until early 2029. In Kenya, where Nothing sells through Mitsumi Distribution, Phones and Tablets Kenya listed the four phones from KES 39,000 to KES 78,500 on 2 November.