Nothing released the Android 15-based Nothing OS 3.0’s Open Beta 1 update for the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus three weeks ago, and it appears the testing has gone smoothly since the brand has released the stable update of Nothing OS 3.0 for the smartphone.
The update brings a new lock screen customization page to the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus, along with new Clock face styles. It also adds an AI-powered Smart Drawer and comes with a redesigned Quick Settings menu. You can check the changelog below for more details.
Shared Widgets
- Use widgets to link up with friends and family. See another person’s widgets displayed on your home screen and interact with each other through reactions. A new way to stay connected.
Lock screen
- Introduced new lock screen customisation page. Access by long-pressing the lock screen or via the Customisation page.
- Choose from a range of new Clock face styles.
- Expanded widget space, allowing you to place more widgets on your lock screen.
New app drawer style
- Added AI-powered Smart Drawer to automatically categorise your apps into folders, keeping your app drawer organised and making apps easy to find.
- Now you can pin your favourite apps to the top of the app drawer for quick access to your favourite apps.
Enhanced pop-up view
- Drag the pop-up view to any position on the screen, for convenient multitasking.
- Easily resize the pop-up view by dragging the bottom corners.
- Pin the pop-up view on the screen edge, for speedy access.
- Swipe down incoming notifications to enter the pop-up view. Allows you to quickly view information without leaving your current app. Enable via Settings > Special features > Pop-up view.
Elevated design
- Redesigned Quick Settings, and an optimised editing experience. Allows you to effortlessly tailor your shortcuts to your preferences.
- Redesigned widget library. Choose your favourite Nothing Widgets or swipe left to browse third-party widgets.
- Enhanced Settings with updated UI visuals. Network & Internet and Bluetooth options now display current connection.
- New Dot animation for fingerprint unlocking and charging.
Other improvements
- Allow AI to learn your usage habits and prioritise your frequently used apps. Keeps them active for longer intelligently for a smoother and more efficient experience.
- Improved the lock screen charging status display to help you easily know the charging speed at a glance.
- Added support for auto-archive function. Automatically frees up storage space without removing apps or data from your device.
- New partial screen sharing, so you can record just an app window rather than the entire screen.
- Updated setup wizard to version 3.0 for a smoother introduction.
- Enabled predictive back animations for apps that have opted in.
- Update Security Patch to December.
Nothing says the update is rolling out in a staggered manner and will take some time to reach all the users. The brand also said that during the upgrade, the “system will optimise in the background to enhance your user experience,” so the Phone (2a) Plus “may experience temporary overheating and increased power consumption, but will quickly return to normal after the upgrade is complete.”
Nothing Phone (2a) Plus
The Nothing Phone (1) also received Nothing OS 3.0’s Open Beta 1 last month, so expect the stable update to be rolled out soon.
