Nothing Phone 2 Gets Nothing OS 3.0 Open Beta

Nothing has released its latest skin, Nothing OS 3.0, which runs on Android 15 to the Nothing Phone 2. The company is already testing the skin for the Phone 2a. Now, the British consumer electronics maker has unveiled the open beta of Nothing OS 3.0 for Nothing Phone 2.

If you own the Phone 2, you can participate in the beta program later today. Obviously, the update includes a number of new features and tweaks available on Nothing’s most recent skin. Read on to learn more about the Phone 2 Nothing OS 3.0 open beta program.

As always, the company has officially shared the details through its community forum. As per the details, please ensure your phone is running on this particular build – Pong-U2.6-241016-1700. In case your phone is on the older software, you need to update it to the latest software.

Nothing OS 3.0 is all set to bring a major refresh to the UI elements. The new skin brings easy-to-read font, simplified settings interface, redesigned notifications and quick settings panel, new customization options for lock screen, AI-powered app drawer, new widget picker, new pop-up view, camera improvements, and more.

Here’s the complete list of changes officially mentioned in the Nothing Phone 2 Nothing OS 3.0 open beta 1 update.

• Shared Widgets
  • Use widgets to link up with friends and family. See another person’s widgets displayed on your home screen and interact with each other through reactions. A new way to stay connected.
• Lock screen
  • New lock screen customisation page. Access by long-pressing the lock screen.
  • Upgraded clock faces. Choose your favourite style.
  • Expanded widget space, allowing you to place more widgets on your lock screen.
• Smart Drawer
  • Added AI-powered Smart Drawer feature to automatically categorise your apps into folders. For better organisation and easy access.
  • For ultimate convenience, you can pin your favourite apps to the top of the app drawer. No scrolling required.
• Quick Settings
  • Reconsidered Quick Settings design with an optimised editing experience.
  • Enhanced widget library design.
  • Updated visuals in Settings including better Network & Internet and Bluetooth options.
• Camera improvements
  • Faster camera launch speed under the Camera Widget.
  • Reduced HDR scene processing time.
  • Optimised portrait effects by fine-tuning blur intensity based on face size.
  • Boosted camera performance in low-light environments.
  • Improved zoom slider display.
• Enhanced pop-up view
  • Movable pop-up view for cleaner and more productive multi-tasking.
  • Easily resize the pop-up view by dragging the bottom corners.
  • Pin the pop-up view on the screen edge for quick access.
  • View information without leaving your current app. Simply swipe down on incoming notifications to enter the pop-up view. Enable via Settings > System > Pop-up view.
• Other improvements
  • AI-powered selection and prioritisation of your frequently used apps, keeping them at your fingertips for a more efficient experience
  • Added support for auto-archive function to automatically free up storage space without removing apps or data from your device.
  • Partial screen sharing for more efficient and secure screen recording. Record just an app window rather than the entire screen.
  • Updated setup wizard to version 3.0 for the smoothest introduction to Nothing OS.
  • Enabled predictive back animations for apps that have opted in.
  • New fingerprint animation with signature dot matrix styling.
  • New charging animation with signature dot matrix styling.
• Note
  • Shared Widgets are currently supported by Nothing devices only. At this stage, only Photo Widgets (square) can be shared. We are rapidly developing support for other widgets, so stay tuned.
  • Since Shared Widgets are in beta, you might encounter some issues. We appreciate your patience as continue to improve your experience.

How to Join Nothing OS 3.0 Open Beta on Nothing Phone 2

If you’re in a hurry and want to try out the changes available on the Nothing OS 3.0, you can join the open beta program.

WARNING: Since the Nothing OS 3.0 is in its initial phase of testing, we don’t recommend installing it on your primary smartphone, even if you’re planning to install it on your secondary device. We advice you to wait for users feedback and then install it on your smartphone. Please try to wait for a couple of days.

Step 1: First things first, please ensure that your Nothing Phone 2 is running on Nothing OS 2.6 with a build number of Pong-U2.6-241016-1700.

Step 2: You need to download this APK on your smartphone, once downloaded install the app on your Phone 2.

Step 3: Open Settings and navigate to System > Update to Beta version.

Step 4: Now tap “Check for new version” and follow the on-screen instructions. You will receive the Nothing OS 3.0 open beta 1 on your Nothing Phone 2 via special OTA.

In case you want to rollback to Nothing OS 2.6, then you can download the rollback file and sideload it on your smartphone, the steps as well as the rollback package is available on the community forum, you can check it here.