The Nothing Phone (1) has received its last-ever software update. Nothing confirmed this week that its first smartphone has reached the end of its software support lifecycle, four years after it launched in July 2022. The final update, now rolling out to all remaining units, carries the July 2026 Android security patch along with general bug fixes and stability improvements — and once it lands, that is it.
Nothing Phone (1): a promise made, and kept
When the Phone (1) launched, Nothing committed to 3 Android OS upgrades and 4 years of security updates. It has delivered exactly that. The phone shipped with Android 12, and moved through Android 13 and 14 before receiving its third and final OS upgrade to Android 15 (Nothing OS 3.0) in early 2025 — we covered its Nothing OS 2.0 update back in 2023, roughly the midpoint of that journey. Security patches continued for another year and a half after the last OS upgrade, ending with this July 2026 release.
In its farewell note, Nothing called the Phone (1) the device “where Nothing OS began”, crediting it for establishing the Glyph Interface and the transparent design language the brand still uses today.
What this means if you still use a Phone (1)
For Indian buyers who picked up the Phone (1) at its Flipkart launch in July 2022 — priced at Rs 32,999 for the 8GB/128GB variant, going up to Rs 38,999 for 12GB/256GB — the phone will keep working exactly as it does now. Apps, calls, banking and UPI will not suddenly stop. What changes is protection: any security vulnerability discovered in Android from August 2026 onwards will remain unpatched on this phone.
Practically, that means:
- The phone stays usable: no features are being switched off, and Nothing says the device “will continue to function as normal”.
- No more security patches: newly found exploits will not be fixed, which matters most if you use the phone for payments and banking.
- App support will fade slowly: apps will keep supporting Android 15 for years, so there is no immediate deadline — but this is the right time to start planning an upgrade rather than a reason to panic today.
Four years was fine in 2022 — it isn’t anymore
Nothing deserves credit for honouring its commitment to the letter, something not every OEM manages. But it is worth noting what a 2022-era promise looks like in 2026: a buyer who paid Rs 32,999 got four years of total support, while the same company’s current flagship, the Phone (3), promises 5 years of OS upgrades and 7 years of security patches, and Samsung and Google now offer 7 years across their flagships. The clock is also ticking for the Nothing Phone (2), which carries the same 3-plus-4 policy and is due to reach its own cutoff around mid-2027.
The timing is symbolic, too: the Phone (1) bows out the same week Nothing launches the Phone (4b) in India on July 7 — the company closing one chapter as it opens another.
Sources: 9to5Google, GSMArena
