Nothing OS 5.0, the latest version of Nothing’s Android-based software, is set to launch in open beta on August 26th, starting with the Nothing Phone 3. The update introduces a new dedicated Glyph Interface app, which consolidates all controls for the phones' rear lighting system into a single location. It also brings a fresh set of homescreen customization options, including adaptive color for app icons and widgets that pull tints from the user’s wallpaper and update automatically when the wallpaper changes.
The adaptive color feature works alongside Android’s built-in Dynamic Colors, but Nothing describes it as an additional theme option. The company says it allows specific elements to match the wallpaper while preserving the brand’s predominantly monochrome design aesthetic underneath. Users who prefer the older, simplified monochrome app icons can continue using that style rather than switching to the new color-tinted version.
The lockscreen is also getting new customization options in Nothing OS 5.0. Clockfaces can now use colors derived from the wallpaper, and two new clockface designs are being added: a bubbly design called “Gooey” and an information-dense option called “Micrographics.” These additions are part of a broader push toward more personalized home and lock screen setups in the update.
Since Nothing OS 5.0 is built on Android 17, it includes several platform-level features from that version of the operating system. Those include enhanced quick share functionality, Android’s new Noto 3D emojis, and expanded dark theme support. The update also brings additional quality-of-life improvements, such as tools to track how much time users spend away from their phones and better integration with Nothing’s Essential AI features.
However, the update will not be available for all of Nothing’s devices. The company plans to roll it out to most of its other phones eventually, but older models are being excluded, including the Nothing Phone 1, the Nothing Phone 2, and the CMF Phone 1. That means owners of those devices will not receive the new Android 17-based features or the other homescreen and glyph interface enhancements included in this release.
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