Nothing Phone 1 Receives Nothing OS 2 Update With Improved Home Screen, New App Management Features: Details

Nothing Phone 1 owners will have to download a 0.97GB update to install Nothing OS 2 on the first-generation smartphone.

Written by David Delima, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 28 August 2023 18:28 IST

Nothing Phone 1 Receives Nothing OS 2 Update With Improved Home Screen, New App Management Features: Details

Nothing Phone 1 was launched in India in July 2022

Highlights

Nothing Phone 1 was launched last year and has been updated to Android
The Nothing OS 2 update brings a refined interface and software features
Nothing Phone 1 owners can manually check for the update on their phone

Nothing Phone 1 is receiving an update to Nothing OS 2, the company's CEO and Founder Carl Pei announced on Monday. The update brings new features that were introduced with the Nothing Phone 2 — the company's latest handset — to its first-generation smartphone that was launched last year. It also improves the home screen and the widgets available on the home screen, while adding new app management features. Users should be able to install the update, that is rolling out in batches, over the coming days.

Pei confirmed the rollout of Nothing OS 2 to the first-generation Nothing Phone 1 on X (formerly Twitter) . You will need to download a 0.97GB file, which means you should be connected to a Wi-Fi network. It is also better to charge your smartphone before you begin installing the update. Gadgets 360 was able to confirm that the update was available to download on the Nothing Phone 1 at the time of publishing this story.

We've now began rolling out Nothing OS 2 for Phone (1). Thanks for everyone's patience! As our capabilities strengthen, we'll be able to pull in the time gap over time.
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) August 28, 2023

The Nothing OS 2 update comes with two notable app management features that made their debut with the Nothing Phone 2 — the ability to clone apps and an app locker. The former will let you create copies of apps like WhatsApp so you can log in to WhatsApp using two numbers on the same smartphone. The latter will let you protect certain apps from unauthorised access even when your phone is unlocked.

Users who install the Nothing OS 2 update will also be able to access the updated Glyph interface. It allows your apps to leave a persistent notification for important apps, while long pressing the torch option in the quick settings menu will now light up the whole Glyph interface, according to the company's changelog.

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The company has also updated the user interface on the Phone 1 with the Nothing OS 2 update. These include new home screen grid layouts for icons, and you will also be able to hide icon labels — a feature offered by third party "launcher" apps on the Play Store.

Folder customisation has also been expanded with new layouts and covers, while you can also add new widgets for the clock, weather, and Quick Look apps to the home screen, after updating your Nothing Phone 1 to the latest software release.

If you haven't received a notification informing you that Nothing OS 2 is available to download and install, you can open the Settings app and tap System > System Update on your Nothing Phone 1 to manually check for the update. Tap the blue Download and Install button to begin and restart when you receive a prompt, in order to complete the update process.

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Nothing Phone 1

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Premium build quality, unique design
Vivid 120Hz OLED display
Wireless charging and IP53 rating
Decent battery life
Clean software, snappy performance
Very good primary camera

Bad
Secondary cameras struggle in low light
No bundled charger

Read detailed Nothing Phone 1 review

Display 6.55-inch

Front Camera 16-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 4500mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

More Nothing mobiles Nothing mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Nothing Phone 1, Nothing OS 2, Nothing Phone 1 update, Nothing Phone 1 software update, Nothing OS 2 download, Nothing

David Delima

Email David Delima

As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More