Nothing has started rolling out the stable Nothing OS 5.0 update, based on Android 17, to four more phones. The Phone (3a), Phone (3a) Pro, Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro began getting it on October 30. That is ahead of the early-November window on Nothing’s own August roadmap.
Nothing’s changelog for each phone opens with the same line:
You’re now upgrading to the official release of Nothing OS 5.0, powered by Android 17.
The Phone (3) got there first, with stable Nothing OS 5.0 arriving on October 12.
Nothing OS 5.0 stable: phones getting it now
- Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro: build C5.0-261023-2146
- Phone (4a): build C5.0-261023-2145
- Phone (4a) Pro: build C5.0-261021-1625
Nothing says its rollouts are usually staggered, so your phone may not see the update on day one. To check manually, open Settings > System > System updates > Check for updates.
Back up your photos, call logs and contacts before installing, as Nothing recommends. The company also warns that the phone may run warm and use more power during installation.
What’s new in Nothing OS 5.0
All three changelogs list the same core features. The most useful ones change how the notification shade and home screen work.
- Split Quick Settings: separate notification and Quick Settings panels, under Settings > Notifications > General > Notifications and Quick Settings
- Bulk icon arranging: long-press the home screen and tap Arrange to move many icons at once
- Privacy indicator: a three-colour status bar dot for sensitive access, location and AI processing
- Glyph app: now sits in the app drawer
- Expanded Dark theme: forces dark mode on apps that lack one, under Settings > Display > Dark theme
- Enhanced HDR brightness: a new slider under Settings > Display
- Bluetooth: one-tap connect and disconnect from Quick Settings
Design, widgets and the rest, in brief
- Translucent theme: a see-through launcher look, under Customisation > Theme & Style > Translucent
- Lock screen: clock colour options and two new clock faces
- Typeface: Geist font and a refreshed Settings layout
- Widgets: Collector, Away Time and Glyph Timer
- Emoji: Noto 3D Emoji in Gboard
Camera changes differ by phone
Both series get a refreshed Camera interface and Dual-view Video, which records with the front and rear cameras at the same time. Beyond that, the changelogs split.
The Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro get Tuning, with seven adjustable effects. They also get upgraded Presets with a 2×2 widget, plus Filters and Tuning while shooting video.
The Phone (4a) and (4a) Pro instead list faster Essential Voice transcriptions with reduced latency.
Nothing phones still waiting for Nothing OS 5.0
These dates come from Nothing’s August roadmap and are indicative, not firm. Our full Nothing OS 5.0 eligibility guide has the complete schedule.
- Phone (2a) and Phone (2a) Plus: mid-November
- Phone (3a) Lite: December, with no beta
- Phone (4b) and CMF Phone 2 Pro: mid-January
Three phones aren’t on Nothing’s list at all:
- Phone (2)
- Phone (1)
- CMF Phone 1
The Phone (2) stands out. It was Nothing’s flagship in 2023, yet it won’t get the update that the newer (3a) and (4a) models are receiving now.
Sources: Nothing (Phone 3a series changelog), Nothing (Phone 4a changelog), Nothing (Phone 4a Pro changelog), Android Central
