Nothing Phone (1) users can finally get Android 14-based Nothing OS 2.5 open beta now. Here, we will guide you on how to download the Nothing OS 2.5 beta and also discuss the new features that are part of this update. Well, in the changelog released, the company has broadly bifurcated the update into customization, gestures, new widgets, and improvements. Let’s take a look at what these entail first.
Nothing OS 2.5 features and improvements
Customization
- A dedicated section within settings to customize both lockscreen and homescreen wallpapers.
- The Atmosphere wallpaper effect offers a seamless transition effect between the lockscreen and the homescreen.
- You can also set solid colours as wallpaper or go all black and white with the monochrome colour option.
Gestures
- You can map different functionalities to the double power button press gesture by going to Settings > System > Gestures.
- You can set Do Not Disturb, Mute, QR code scanner, and video camera as lockscreen shortcuts.
- A 3-finger swipe lets you take screenshots now on Nothing OS 2.5. The screenshots can be easily edited or deleted thanks to the new screenshot editor and menu.
Widgets
- There is a new Pedometer Widget to keep an eye on the step count, analyze and set goals.
- The Media Player Widget lets you control the music playback on the go.
- You can keep tabs on your mobile consumption with the new Screen Time Widget and try to reduce its use.
New Improvements
- There is a new Glyph animation while NFC is being used.
- Nothing has tweaked the Flip-to-Glyph experience for the better.
- The Weather App and Weather Alert notifications have been optimized.
- The back gesture arrow now matches the Nothing UI theme.
- You can now separately set call ringtones and notification tones with the updated volume control UI.
- Quick Settings layout now shows more device icons.
- The camera app and the overall system should function more stable.
All these features are interesting but since this is a beta update, you should proceed with caution. Well, if you intend to test it out anyway, here’s how you go about doing that:
How to download Nothing OS 2.5 on Nothing Phone (1)
Before you proceed, ensure that the device data is backed up somewhere safe or it is not your daily driver. This is also important if you decide to rollback to the stable version, the device will be factory reset. Also, make sure you have the latest Nothing OS version (before v2.5) installed on your device.
Step 1: Download the Nothing OS 2.5 APK called Nothing Offline OTA Update (provided on the Nothing Community page) to your phone’s internal storage.
Step 2: Go to Nothing Phone (1)‘s Settings > System > Update to Beta version.
Step 3: Tap on “Check for new version” to continue the installation.
The device may reboot in this process. Once it finally boots to the lockscreen, unlock it, and you will have the Nothing OS 2.5 on Nothing Phone (1).