Nothing OS 4.0 Beta on Phone (3a) Series - Lock Glimpse & Future Plans

Akis · 2025-10-24T17:20:00+00:00

![](https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-10-24/1761326648-151450-glimpse.jpg "banner") Hi everyone, Today, we rolled out the Nothing OS 4.0 Open Beta for the Phone (3a) Series, which included Lock Glimpse and sparked a lot of questions. We had planned to cover this next week as part of a new product announcement, but we wanted to address it now to be transparent and provide you with the full context. Building Nothing from the ground up hasn’t been easy. We are the only smartphone brand in the last decade that has successfully launched, scaled and developed full end-to-end capabilities. This is no small feat in a market defined by high entry barriers, from massive capital requirements and complex supply chains to intense competition. One of the biggest challenges for any new entrant is managing the BOM (Bill of Materials) cost, which is higher than that of established players. On top of this, most brands also have software-based revenue streams, the most straightforward being pre-installed partner apps and services. This is a common approach across the industry, including for established brands like Samsung. For us, this means operating on razor-thin margins and making careful, deliberate choices for every aspect of the product while still delivering an optimal user experience. As we continue investing in hardware and software innovation as well as sustaining our growth, we need to explore sustainable revenue models to avoid passing costs and ensuring optimal pricings for our products - especially for entry- and mid-segment products. Moving forward, on select non-flagship devices, we’ll start including a carefully considered selection of third-party partner apps and services that don’t disrupt the Nothing OS experience you love. These are apps most people install on day one, like Instagram. They’re not random - we’re working with popular platforms many of you already use daily, and in some cases, these integrations can even enhance performance or provide tighter experiences, such as improved camera or sharing features. As part of this we have a new feature called Lock Glimpse being tested in the Nothing OS 4.0 Open Beta on the Phone (3a) Series. Lock Glimpse brings fresh, high-quality wallpapers to your lock screen, curated to your taste across nine categories. It can also surface timely updates and useful content, designed to enhance your experience, not distract you. A few important details: * On Phone (3a) Series, Lock Glimpse is off by default. * You can enable it anytime in Settings, or access it only by swiping left from your lock screen. * You can customize wallpaper categories, refresh anytime, or disable it completely. * In future updates, you’ll be able to use your own photos, replacing standard wallpapers entirely and making every unlock uniquely yours. * If you choose to turn it on, no personal data is shared. This is standard across the industry, but we’ll always do it the Nothing way - redesigning each element and integrating them into Nothing OS in the most optimal way (default designs look terrible…) - while keeping everything completely under your control, giving you the ability to remove things or turn features on and off as you wish. What’s not changing: our focus remains on delivering the best possible user experience while taking the steps needed to achieve our ambitions. We’ll always: * Keep partner apps minimal and easy to remove * Be upfront about what’s pre-installed and why * Give you full control over features like Lock Glimpse We’d rather be open and transparent about this change and hear your feedback and suggestions. We’ll keep you posted on any new developments regarding third-party apps and services. Thanks Akis **[ UPDATE ] - 30 OCT** Yesterday, we launched Phone (3a) Lite, the first entry-level smartphone from Nothing. As mentioned above, we want to remain open and transparent about the inclusion of third-party apps and services in Nothing OS, and we welcome your feedback and suggestions regarding this change. Continuing on that, we’ve made some new developments regarding third-party apps and services and have begun including a carefully selected range of third-party partner apps and app recommendation services in Phone (3a) Lite. These are some of the most widely used apps globally , the ones most users tend to install on day one. 1. TikTok - EU , UK and Japan 2. Instagram - All Regions ( except Japan ) 3. Facebook - All Regions ( except Japan ) Because these apps come pre-installed, they offer : * Faster startup: These apps launch 50 to 100 milliseconds quicker. * Smarter background performance: App background retention is optimized, so when you switch back to Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, they resume exactly where you left off without reloading. * Better power efficiency: These apps are optimized for power efficiency, helping extend your device’s battery life by reducing power consumption. * Seamless camera access: Using the camera within these apps is smoother, providing a more fluid shooting experience and reducing the chance of lag or crashes. And importantly, you still retain full control. If you choose to, all three apps can be uninstalled at any time. Additionally, some community members have raised concerns about the Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Service. These apps are designed to ensure that pre-installed apps are updated to their latest versions in a timely manner and to maintain their stability. If users wish to disable them, they can do so by navigating to: Settings App > All apps > Tap the icon in the top-right corner > Select “Show system” > Find the Meta apps > Select the “disable” button. However, we recommend not disabling these apps if you intend to use the pre-installed apps, as they are essential for ensuring the stability and proper functioning of those apps. ‎ We are also introducing recommendation services which essentially recommend apps that are curated to enhance the initial setup experience for users by helping them quickly discover essential utility and social apps, rather than searching for and downloading each one individually from the Play Store. A few important details: * It’s only visible during the initial phone setup or when the phone is reactivated after a factory reset. Once the setup is complete, there are no more app suggestions during daily use. * Users have full control over it — you can choose to skip and not download any of the recommended apps. * The recommended apps are verified by a trusted partner, eliminating the risk of malware or low-quality software. If users wish to disable this feature , they can do so by navigating to: Settings App > All apps > Tap the icon in the top-right corner > Select “Show system” > Find “App services” > Select the “disable” button. ‎ **[ UPDATE ] 3 NOV** Hi everyone, Following your feedback and suggestions, we’ve been working on making pre-installed services more flexible and within your control. Starting later this month, you’ll be able to completely remove Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Services from your device. Previously, these could only be disabled. While we recommended keeping them active for better stability of pre-installed apps like Instagram or Facebook, we understand that some users prefer full control over what stays on their device. We’re aiming to roll this out by the end of the month and will confirm once it’s live. Thank you for your continued feedback. It helps us keep improving while staying true to our promise of openness and user choice. Akis

Sizza

Mojito 🇫🇷 i agree with every single word you say. It seems to me that a lot of people here have no idea what a small, young company has to go through, when surrounded by giants who established their power decades ago. And this is also valid for other industries. If you need money, you gotta do things you dont want to.

Mojito 🇫🇷

Sizza Yes, we should always try to put ourselves in the shoes of brands or others to understand certain decisions. It’s not always easy, and in the end, we’ll never be able to please everyone. The essential thing is to keep honest transparency and seek a balanced equilibrium between user experience and economic needs.

M3Mz

Akis STOP THE DRAMA, NOW! What’s the issue with some apps you can uninstall? And if it comes with the benefit of those apps being optimized, it’s actually a benefit.

And you can easily uninstall them, as clearly quoted.

Stereobasic

M3Mz for now you just can “disable” it, you can’t uninstall.

Anonymous963

M3Mz

It’s more about Nothing/Carl being liars. You can’t trust these guys at all

A few months later they might decide to make it so you can’t easily disable the bloatware like on One Plus. Not everybody is comfortable using ADB to disable apps

TupePotato

M3Mz yea, i cant understand why this is a big issue. Like they know what theyre doin to elevate Nothing itself to the next level. And these people tryna gatekeeping the product for it’s potential, maybe those people know how to produce those updates and devices more than professional people from Nothing. 🤔 Those implementation should be useful and to avoid issues for your applications in the future. Its crazy how they attack like this. They hate users who love the product and keep crying about whats missing and what shouldnt be there. I feel im literally livin in a gen z community. I dont know but im still excited for what they be cookin 2026-2028 “Essential” 🥰 some people dont see the bigger picture in this.

Technological_Nerd

Akis I will never own another nothing product. Your OS has consistently been diverging from the goal of being minimal, which is the reason anyone would buy a Nothing phone - if I was happy with bloat I would buy one from a company with more features. The reason nothing has been successful so far is because of the bloat free experience - and you just lost your only advantage. I sincerely hope this decision is rolled back.

SaiSandeepAkula

Akis Modedit: As per our Community Guidelines, please dont write in all caps.

Feedback is so clear, community is completely against lock glimpse, let’s see if nothing respects feedback or ignore.

During last sale in india, my recommendation is 3a for many who are about to buy oppo phones.

Now because of this terrible decision of adding bloatware, no lock screen customisation. I will stop recommending nothing products.

ElsePoPeYe

Um, then why the latest video on Noting’s YT channel pokes fun at Samsung installing pre-installed apps @timestamp 5:38 seconds yet now you acknowledge the fact the what Samsung is doing is the industry standard, smh, the irony is that the video hasn’t even completed 10 days from the time of upload, yes I know it can be pre-recorded but the still you knew what your company was headed in the direction, yet still decided to upload that video. The image is forever tarnished for a company which users have trusted for minimalism and clean experience with this move. And this isn’t the first company Carl has founded he should’ve known about the BOM and acted accordingly to it, that’s it, good luck.

Grigius

Anonymous963 Yes, this stuff is really bad, really bad, and it doesn’t inspire much confidence.

Sgnoogle

Guys, the situation is very simple (and, unfortunately, very serious).

Nothing is committing literal brand-culture suicide. From a communication level this is what you should pay attention the most.

Again it’s not about debating the value of the newly integrated Glance function, or the ability to uninstall third-party apps.

You buy Nothing for the Nothing ‘vision’ (for better or worse. For example, Essential Space is a flop for me for now. But you can still feel the Nothing approach).

I could be wrong, but this could mark an extremely heavy turning point for the company.

Hope they are gonna listen to the community.

Thanish Thahir

Sgnoogle EXACTLY!

Coldtail

This is it. It’s not new anyway. Most of the Android manufacturers had already done this. It’s actually the lower-spec phones that suffer the most. As long as you have the option to uninstall or not use the feature, I think it’s okay, but it defeats the Nothing OS experience that they’ve been marketing for years. Understandable in the economic aspect.

JochieSantiago

CMF1_hacker there wouldnt be a need for a debloater script ir there are no bloat apps to begin with.

SunilKumarGurjar_GVNlHKgoZ0

I don’t need this type of shit on my phone.

I bought nothing because of its clean UI, not for this type of your ads and bloatware.

I think nothing is on the path of oppo and Vivo to earn extra money from bloatware and ads, because you guys failed with your product pricing policy.

Nothing_Fan_Boy

Akis

Hey akis Look bro from a Nothing user’s perspective Nothing OS was that one software which truly gave a clean premium and unique experience. It always felt different from others. And now hearing that you guys are planning to add bloatware honestly feels disappointing. As a loyal Nothing user it’s really hard to digest this. I’m sure even other Nothing users will not agree with this decision because it directly affects the brand’s image.

People will start saying things like “Oh now even Nothing phones have started getting bloatware.” Then influencers and tech reviewers will also begin to point it out saying “Nothing OS is no longer clean or ad-free.” That’s going to leave a bad mark on the brand’s identity — the same brand that was known for being minimal distraction free and different.

And to be honest the lockscreen glimpse feature is just the worst move. It makes the whole experience feel cheap and unnecessary. Nothing was supposed to stand out because it didn’t follow others because it was bold enough to stay different. Even Carl once said that smartphones have become boring all brands are just doing the same thing and that’s why Nothing was created to break that trend and keep things simple clean and meaningful.

But now this decision feels like a step in the opposite direction.

heyShy

Personally, I am against this feature.

The most unpleasant thing is that the installation of this feature is separated between the flagship and the rest.

It’s as if the transparency and valuable experience of Nothing is provided only to the flagship, and the other terminals are patient. Or I feel like I’m being told to buy an expensive device.

The next thing I don’t like is that this advertising feature is described in the OS4 update as if it were wonderful.

In the past, we thought that Brodware was not beautiful, that minimalism and simplicity were wonderful, but when we did the same thing, it didn’t seem like a very good way to write it as wonderful.

I cannot agree with this approach because it is a brand that I truly love.

On the other hand, I agree that we need to increase our revenue, and wouldn’t it be nice if we could turn it on and off in the settings? I can understand that opinion.

I just wonder why… I can’t put it into words, but it makes me feel very uncomfortable.

DragonLittle

Akis tbh if the choice is between higher price and a few bloat ware that can be removed easily, I would choose the second option.

Wish-

Relax guys. I don’t think this is going to turn out the way it appears. Just wait a little longer, and everything will become clear.

@Nothing If this is some kind of experiment, then go ahead with it, but make sure to provide the option to UNINSTALL (not just disable) everything. I know there’s an ADB option, and it’s just a matter of a couple of minutes, but the majority of users won’t opt for it. As for the new features you’ll be adding to the UI, there should definitely be an option to turn them off, and I’m sure that will be provided.

Maggi Goreng

About 90% of my friends only know about Nothing because of me. In the past, whenever I mentioned my Nothing phone and its price, they would say I paid too much. I would then explain why, even with similar specs, Nothing costs more than other brands — because it comes with no ads and no pre-installed third-party apps (aside from Google). I’ve always been proud to be a Nothing user… until today, when I saw this update and honestly felt like a fool being played.

I understand that running a small company isn’t easy, but quietly pushing this into the beta without any prior notice, and only explaining after widespread complaints, just doesn’t feel right. There were many better ways to handle this. Existing Nothing users could have continued enjoying a clean, ad-free OS, while this feature could be introduced later on future budget models like the 4(a) — with proper prior notice before sale. That would have been true transparency, instead of surprising users first and explaining later.

dreddit

Thanks for being honest and upfront. More than the big players ever are, and all the stuff is removable, so no problem in the end. Good work Nothing and let’s hope you’re razor thin margins get less thin.

roxe12345

bloatos?

Ant-e-so-shial

Thank you for being upfront and clear about this. I can’t believe people are still complaining when you’ve mentioned why you are doing it and how we have a (even by default) to disable it.

I’d say don’t mind these people they are just whiners whining, they’ll whine all day about anything. They’ll try to blackmail “oh I won’t buy any Nothing phone in future” but just do your thing, phones are worse and costlier out there, they won’t go nowhere they’ll just whine it.

roxe12345

Ant-e-so-shial You may be right here. But Nothing is planning on adding other bloatware to midrange and budget phones, exactly like xiaomi and any other company(even samsung)

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