Nothing OS 3.0 Exclusive: First Look at all New Features & Upgrades

Nothing is gearing up to roll out Nothing OS 3.0, a significant upgrade from Nothing OS 2.5. We’ve got our hands on the upcoming Nothing OS and tried out most of its features and changes. The Nothing OS 3.0 is built on top of Android 15. However, it’s worth noting this is a preliminary release, so the final version might differ. Here’s an exclusive look at what you’ll see in Nothing OS 3.0. Let’s dive in.

Changelog

First things first, let’s take a look at the changelog of this Beta update. This is the Nothing OS 3.0 Android 15 Beta update on the Nothing Phone (2a). 

1. New Boot Animation

First up, Nothing OS 3.0 introduces a fresh boot animation. Upon restarting or booting into Nothing OS 3.0, you’ll see the Nothing logo in a dot matrix font. The Nothing logo soon fades away into a circle. This circle then transitions into a donut shape before the final animation completes the boot-up process. 

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2. New Fingerprint Unlock Animation

Once you’re in, the lock screen features a new unlock animation. If you’re using the fingerprint sensor, you’ll now see a dot matrix animation when you press it, replacing the previous animation where the circle would just expand and relax.

3. Redesigned Control Center with Resizable Toggles

The redesigned Control Center is one of the biggest changes in Nothing OS 3.0. When you swipe down from the top, you’ll initially see two 1×2 toggles (Wi-Fi and Mobile Data) on the left and a 2×2 toggle on the right, which is for Bluetooth or your connected device.

Swiping down again reveals additional toggles, including a new Mute toggle in a 1×2 layout, allowing you to switch between Mute, Vibrate, and Sound. The brightness slider is at the bottom and now has the auto-brightness toggle baked in.

You can swipe left to access more toggles, which are fully customizable. Tap the Pencil icon to rearrange or add toggles. There’s a 4×4 grid layout to help users better place the toggles.

You can also use the new Expand Toggle button at the bottom right of each icon to resize them to 1×2, 1×1, or 2×2. This is similar to what we’ve seen on iOS 18.

Here is a video demonstrating the resizable widgets:

There’s also a Reset button at the bottom right to restore the original layout. All toggles are resizable and adapt their functions based on size, giving you full control over your Control Center’s appearance and even functionality.

And yes, the control center also adapts to light mode, unlike AOSP and Pixel UI. Here is how the media player looks like:

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4. New Lock Screen Clock

The new clock on Nothing OS 3.0 no longer uses the dot matrix font. It displays the date, time, and weather. 

5. Lock Screen Customization Shortcut

When you tap and hold on the lock screen, you’ll see a new “Customise lock screen” option. This takes you directly to the lock screen customization settings, where you can add widgets and adjust settings as before. 

Although the customization options remain the same for now, we hope for updates in the final version. 

6. Dynamic Clock

“Double-lined clock” has been renamed to “Dynamic Clock.” This feature automatically adjusts the clock size according to the content. For example, if you have notifications or widgets on the lock screen, the clock size would be adjusted accordingly.

7. Reset Home Screen Layout 

Nothing OS 3.0 brings a new reset Home Screen to Nothing original layout that allows you to reset the home screen layout to the factory defaults i.e., the original Nothing layout.

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8. Less of Dot Matrix

Nothing OS 3.0 has removed the Dot Matrix font from several areas of the UI, including the clock in the control center and the Settings app. This is perhaps to improve the readability, as the Dot Matrix font is very hard to read. It is still there in some areas such as the lock screen customization menu, though.

9. New Font Option

Speaking of fonts, Nothing OS 3.0 finally allows you to switch to a more modern font that looks neater. The default font is still Roboto but now, you can change it to a new font called “Inter.” 

10. Redesigned Settings App

As mentioned earlier, the Settings app says goodbye to the Dot Matrix font and uses a new stylized font for the headings. The app layout is also neater and better organized than before. Settings have been grouped into sections, similar to iOS and ColorOS.

11. New Charging Assistant 

Nothing OS 3.0 introduces a new Charging Assistant that notifies you if your phone isn’t charging at the maximum speed or if a charging limit is set. 

12. Battery Health 

Additionally, the battery health feature has been updated. It’s now split into two sections: 

1. Smart Charging Mode: Charges your phone steadily overnight to maintain long-term battery health, which was previously available.

2. Custom Charging Mode: Allows you to set a maximum charging limit between 70% and 90% to better protect battery life. This mode stops charging once the battery reaches your chosen percentage, helping to extend its lifespan.

13. Predictive Back Gesture

Nothing OS 3.0 also brings Predictive Back Gesture, a feature that was initially introduced by Google in Android 14. This lets you preview the content of the previous screen when navigating back. However, it will only work in apps that support this feature.

14. Close Apps Using Sensitive Permissions from Control Center

Nothing OS 3.0 will let you close apps using specific permissions, like the Camera or Microphone, directly from the Control Center. This feature, part of Android 15, allows you to revoke access without navigating through settings.

15. Record Single App/Entire Screen

Nothing OS 3.0 now lets you screen record a single app or the entire screen. When recording a single app, all notifications and other distractions are hidden, showing only the app you’re recording. It’s a useful feature that Nothing added, though it’s already available in the latest Android 14 build on Pixel UI.

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16. Device Diagnostics

Nothing OS 3.0 also brings a new device diagnostics feature with two main components: Component Health and Evaluation Mode.

Component Health 

This includes:

1. Display Test: Check your screen for defects through a series of screens.

2. Touch Test: Ensure your touch sensor is working by rubbing your finger until the screen turns completely white.

3. Battery Status: View battery health, cycle count, and part history.

4. Storage Status: Monitor the longevity and condition of your storage, which degrades over time.

Evaluation Mode 

This lets you use one Nothing device to assess another device running Android 15 beta with Nothing OS 3.0. This involves scanning a QR code and following the prompts in settings. Our source couldn’t test this feature yet, so we are not sure how it works.

17. Miscellaneous 

1. A new option that detects if a fingerprint is already saved.

2. There’s an option to auto archive unused apps.

3. Network Power Save Mode extends the standby mode time.

4. Dialer, Contacts, Gallery, and other Nothing system apps are coming in the final version.

Final Words

And that’s it. Nothing OS 3.0 is set to bring significant updates, including a redesigned Control Center, new clock and lock screen features, better battery management, and diagnostic tools. However, we’ll need to see the final release to understand the full scope of Nothing OS 3.0.

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