Nothing OS 5.0, the Android 17-based update Nothing detailed at yesterday’s unveiling, enters open beta today, 26 August, starting with the Phone (3). The beta goes live at 11:00 BST — 2pm in the UAE — with most of Nothing’s other phones following over the coming months, per The Verge.
The update brings a dedicated Glyph Interface app that pulls every glyph feature, sound, ringtone and schedule into one place, instead of scattering them across Settings. A new Glyph Timer widget starts a countdown from the home screen, with the remaining time shown on the lights at the back of the phone.
Homescreen customisation is the other notable addition. App icons and widgets can pick up colour tints from your wallpaper, updating whenever the wallpaper changes, while the system’s monochrome character stays underneath. Nothing ships it as an additional theme, so the old look remains available. Two new lockscreen clockfaces — a bubbly “Gooey” and the information-dense “Micrographics” — join the options, with clockface colours drawn from the wallpaper. The redesigned launcher and the Micrographics clockface arrive with the general release from October rather than the beta.
Nothing OS 5.0 rollout timeline
Nothing’s chart puts the Phone (3) on general release in mid-October. The Phone (4a) Pro, Phone (4a), Phone (3a) Pro and Phone (3a) follow in early November, the Phone (2a) and (2a) Plus in mid-November, and the Phone (3a) Lite in late December. The Phone (4b) and CMF Phone 2 Pro close it out in mid-January 2027. Nothing’s community announcement stresses the timings are indicative, with rollout phased by region and carrier.
The Phone (1), Phone (2) and CMF Phone 1 are excluded — all three have reached the end of major software support, as we noted when Nothing Phone (1) software support ended.
Other Android 17 additions
The Android 17 base carries platform features like Quick Share improvements, Noto 3D emoji and expanded dark theme. Nothing layers on batch home screen editing, an Away Time widget that tracks how long you’ve been away from the phone, a Collector widget that turns photos into home or lock screen icons, the new Geist system typeface, single-tap Bluetooth controls in Quick Settings, and Essential AI updates including Model Context Protocol support for Essential Space and an on-device Essential Apps Builder.
What it means if you own a Nothing phone in the UAE
The beta lands at a civilised 2pm local, but it starts with the Phone (3) — most owners here will wait. The Phone (4a) and (4a) Pro, from AED 1,599, are slated for November, as are the three 3a models; the 2a line follows in mid-November. Phone (2) and Phone (1) owners are out of luck unless they upgrade, and the regional phasing on the chart does not change the broad order. Our Phone (4a) Pro review covers what the current software does well already.
What is Nothing OS 5.0?
Nothing OS 5.0 is Nothing’s Android 17-based update, unveiled on 25 August. It adds a dedicated Glyph Interface app, wallpaper-adaptive colour on the home screen, new lockscreen clockfaces, and Android 17 platform features like Quick Share improvements and Noto 3D emoji.
Which Nothing phones get Nothing OS 5.0?
Ten phones are eligible: the Phone 3, Phone 4a, Phone 4a Pro, Phone 3a, Phone 3a Pro, Phone 3a Lite, Phone 2a, Phone 2a Plus, Phone 4b and CMF Phone 2 Pro. The Phone 1, Phone 2 and CMF Phone 1 are excluded — they have reached the end of major software support.
When does my Nothing phone get Nothing OS 5.0?
The Phone 3 gets the general release in mid-October, the Phone 4a, 4a Pro and 3a models in early November, the Phone 2a and 2a Plus in mid-November, the Phone 3a Lite in late December, and the Phone 4b and CMF Phone 2 Pro in mid-January 2027.
