Nothing Phone 1 Receiving Android 14-Based Nothing OS 2.5 Open Beta 1 Update

Nothing released the stable Nothing OS 2.5 update for the Phone 2 last week. Now, the Carl Pei-backed UK-based company is rolling out the Nothing OS 2.5 open beta 1 for its first smartphone — Nothing Phone 1. The new software based on Android 14, brings several new security, and privacy features to the handset alongside Glyph improvements. The Nothing Phone 1 will get a redesigned home and lock screen customisation page with the latest update. It brings new widgets, camera stability, and system stability improvements.

Through its official X account, Nothing announced the rollout of Nothing OS 2.5 open beta 1 for the Phone 1. As per the changelog shared on Nothing’s community forum, the latest update brings some basic Android 14 features alongside the list of upgrades under Nothing OS.

Nothing OS 2.5 open beta 1 brings a redesigned home and lock screen customisation page. It adds an atmosphere wallpaper effect to transform a background photo into a wallpaper by adding motion to colours on the home screen. The update includes solid colour wallpapers and a monochrome colour theme.

Additionally, Nothing OS 2.5 includes a customisable double-press power gesture button to quickly access a chosen feature with a simple tap. This can be availed by heading to Settings > System > Gestures. The update introduces new lock screen shortcut options like Do Not Disturb, Mute, QR code scanner, and video camera. The new software adds a three-finger swipe gesture for capturing screenshots and includes a new screenshot editor and menu.

Nothing Phone 1 gets new widgets with the Android 14 beta update. These include a new pedometer widget to track steps, a media player displaying currently playing songs, and a screen time widget to monitor daily screen time. The Phone 1 users will have to update their Nothing Launcher and Nothing Widgets app to the latest version on the Google Play Store to use the new widgets.

Further, Nothing OS 2.5 introduces a new Glyph animation for when NFC is being used. It also optimises the Flip to Glyph experience alongside improving Quick Settings and the stability of the camera.

To install the Nothing OS 2.5 open beta 1, users need to ensure that their Phone 1 is running on the latest version of Nothing OS. They have to download the Install Beta APK. Once it has been installed from the downloads users can get the update by heading to Settings > System > Update to Beta version. It is recommended to update the handset while it is connected to a strong Wi-Fi network and is charging.