Nothing OS 5.0 open beta starts August 26 on Phone (3)

On August 20, Nothing's community forum posted that Nothing OS 5.0 was "Coming Soon" and named a specific time: Tuesday, August 25 at 11:20 AM BST. Android Authority reported that Nothing did not explain what would occur at that moment. Before the announcement, NPowerUser said the software would officially launch on August 25. Gizchina reported that Nothing had confirmed the August 25 unveiling through a teaser on its social channels.

Nothing detailed the software on August 25. The open beta for Nothing OS 5.0, built on Android 17, starts Wednesday, August 26 at 11:00 AM BST (3:30 PM IST), with the Nothing Phone (3) first. Beebom Gadgets also says the open beta begins August 26 and puts the stable release in October.

Rollout schedule

hi-Tech.ua published a device-by-device open beta schedule: Phone (3) on August 26; Phone (4a) Pro in early September; Phone (4a), Phone (3a), and Phone (3a) Pro in late September; Phone (2a) and Phone (2a) Plus in mid-October; and Phone (4b) in mid-December. The Phone (3a) Lite and CMF Phone 2 Pro are not in the open beta.

Stable releases are staggered. hi-Tech.ua reports Phone (3) in mid-October; Phone (4a), (4a) Pro, (3a), and (3a) Pro in early November; Phone (2a) and (2a) Plus in mid-November; Phone (3a) Lite in late December; and Phone (4b) and CMF Phone 2 Pro in mid-January next year. Beebom's eligible-device list for the update includes Phone 4a Pro, Phone 4a, Phone 3a Pro, Phone 3a, Phone 2a, Phone 2a Plus, Phone 3a Lite, Phone 4b, and CMF Phone 2 Pro.

The original Nothing Phone (1) has already ended major OS support. Gizchina reported that the Phone (1) received its last major update in July, ending with Android 15. NPowerUser listed the Phone (1) as reaching end-of-life for major OS versions. The Nothing Phone (2) also does not appear in Nothing's announced schedule. Before the launch, NPowerUser had listed it as a likely supported model, but Gizchina noted its original promise covers through Android 16, so Nothing OS 5.0 was not guaranteed.

What changes in Nothing OS 5.0

Beebom reports a major visual refresh with a new Lucent theme that uses transparent and layered elements across widgets and Essential Search. App icons and 1x1 Quick Settings widgets can take on colors from the wallpaper, and the system switches to the Geist typeface. Nothing has also refreshed the Settings, Gallery, and Camera apps; Gallery gains sorting, filtering, album management, and editing tools, while Camera gets cleaner controls and simpler QR scanning.

On the lock screen, TelecomTalk reports two new clock faces: Gooey and Micrographics. Beebom adds wallpaper-matched clock colours and improved Depth Effect wallpapers. New widgets include Away Time, which tracks time away from the phone; Collector, which turns photos into visual collections; and Glyph Timer, which starts timers from the home screen and shows remaining time on the Glyph. The Glyph Interface gets a dedicated app.

Nothing says performance work improves app launches, scrolling, touch response, and multitasking. Essential Voice gets faster processing, improved transcription and formatting, and support for Super Mic on the Nothing Ear (3). Essential Space adds Smart Collections, Quick Actions, and Model Context Protocol support for compatible AI platforms. An Essential Apps builder lets users describe an app in natural language and have Essential create it, in beta.

Android 17 brings separated Notifications and Quick Settings, Quick Share between Android and iOS, floating screen-recording controls, Noto 3D Emoji, updated privacy indicators, independent Assistant volume, HDR brightness controls, expanded Dark Theme, and a redesigned Recents menu.

What the beta does not include

The redesigned home screen and the Micrographics clockface will not ship in the open beta. Beebom reports Nothing plans to introduce them with the stable October release after more testing.