Nothing OS 3.0 is the company take on Android 15. After recently teasing the new interface in a YouTube video, Nothing has officially launched the first open beta of Nothing OS 3.0 for the Nothing Phone 2a. If you own a Nothing Phone 2a and want to try out the new features coming with the Android 15 based Nothing OS 3.0, then here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can join open beta program.
Nothing on its community forum revealed some key details of its upcoming skin, which reveals some major features coming with the next major software upgrade, release timeline of Nothing OS 3.0 open beta, and installation file. It is a pretty big upgrade and the open beta access is coming to the following models:
- Phone (2a): Available now
- Phone (2): November 2024
- Phone (1): December 2024
- Phone (2a) Plus: December 2024
- CMF Phone 1: December 2024
Strangely, the company has not provided any information regarding the availability of its recently announced smartphone, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus. Keep in mind that this release timeline is for the open beta version, the stable update is expected to release next year.
Talking about the features, then 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 2a Nothing OS 3.0 open beta 1 update.
- 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.
- New fingerprint animation with signature dot matrix styling.
- Other improvements
- 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.
How to Join Nothing OS 3.0 Open Beta on Nothing Phone 2a
Nothing Phone 2a users can taste the upcoming features and changes coming with Android 15-based Nothing OS 3.0 update. The first open beta goes official for keen users, if you’re in a haste want to try out the new features, you can follow the below steps.
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 2a is running on Nothing OS 2.6 with a build number of Pacman-U2.6-240828_1906.
Step 2: You need to download the Nothing Official OTA Update APK on your smartphone, once downloaded install the app on your Phone 2a.
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 2a 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.
If you already installed the Nothing OS 3.0 open beta 1 on your Phone 2a, you can share your experience in the comments section. Your insights will be valuable in helping other users understand the features and performance of this new update.
Related Articles:
- Nothing OS 3.0 Release Date, Eligible Devices, Features and More
- These Nothing Phones are eligible for Android 15 Update
- Download Nothing’s CMF Phone 1 Stock Wallpapers [FHD+]
- Nothing Expands the Android 15 Beta to Phone 2
- Nothing Announces Android 15 Beta 1: Here’s How to Install It
- Download Google Camera 9.1 for Nothing Phone 2a
