MobileNov 3, 2026, 4:57 AM UTC·2 min read

Nothing OS 5.0 Rolls Out to Phone (4a) and (3a) Series

Nothing is expanding the stable Nothing OS 5.0 rollout, built on Android 17, to the Phone (4a) Pro, (4a), (3a) Pro and (3a) with new AI tools and Glyph features.

A Nothing smartphone showing the redesigned Nothing OS 5.0 home screen with tinted icons and transparent widgets. — Image: mint

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Nothing has begun pushing the stable version of Nothing OS 5.0, based on Android 17, to more of its smartphones. The Phone (4a) Pro, Phone (4a), Phone (3a) Pro and Phone (3a) are now in line for the update, which brings a redesigned interface, more personalisation, performance work and new AI-powered tools.

The stable build first reached the Nothing Phone (3) in October. Distribution is phased, so timing depends on device, region and carrier. Owners can check under Settings > System > System update and look for updates again if nothing appears at first.

What is new

The visual refresh includes wallpaper-based colours, tinted app icons and transparent widgets, plus the Geist typeface and updated icons. Settings, Camera, Gallery and the Status Bar have been refined, and two new lock-screen clocks, Gooey and Micrographics, are included.

Glyph gets a dedicated app that gathers all its controls, along with a Glyph Timer for starting countdowns from the home screen. Collector turns photos into stickers and visual collections, Away Time tracks time spent away from the phone, and batch editing lets users move several apps and widgets at once.

On the AI side, Essential Space adds Smart Collections that automatically group related screenshots and saved content. Essential Voice shows text in real time as you speak and supports transcription in more than 100 languages. Essential Apps Builder lets users describe an app in natural language and create it on the phone without coding; access is being rolled out gradually.

Android 17 and performance

From Android 17 come separate Notifications and Quick Settings spaces, better privacy indicators and an improved Quick Share that can generate a QR code so iPhone users can download files via a secure web link. Nothing also cites faster app launches, smoother scrolling, quicker touch response, better multitasking and memory management that reduces unnecessary app reloads.

Schedule

According to Nothing's roadmap, the Phone (4a) Pro, (4a), (3a) Pro and (3a) get the update in early November, the Phone (2a) and (2a) Plus by mid-November, the Phone (3a) Lite in late December 2026, and the Phone (4b) and CMF Phone 2 Pro in mid-January 2027. The Phone (1), Phone (2) and CMF Phone 1 have reached the end of major software support and will not receive Nothing OS 5.0.