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

Grynd

I feel betrayed. Betrayed and disappointed.

Flocky

Ani_Vri_007 First of all, Nothing was selling us a ad-free and bloat-free experience, this breaks the trust in the brand really and that’s sad

For your second point, no we don’t need more Nothing apps, because THAT would be bloatware, we already have the Google apps that work fine and adding duplicates is just useless

Darius3a

Wanting to make money is reasonable and better for everyone. However I believe the main issues with the new approach are:

The real deal behind the decision. What your goal with the new ad-supported strategy is? You cannot make money by pre installing ads and having them turned OFF by default. People must see ads so they generate revenue. Therefore we know that this new Lock Screen is just a glimpse but we want to know what’s to come. Perhaps present the strategy more.
Security concerns. What data do the included apps collect and where do they go? A link with long list of terms and conditions won’t cut it and I’d appreciate if you introduced these hand picked and curated ad-providers more clearly.
Fairness for already sold devices. People bought your phones on the premise of clean, ad-free experience. You are introducing ads to those very devices which is contradictory. It would make more sense if this was a plan for future devices I believe so people would know exactly what they are buying.

Ani_Vri_007

Darius3a

You literally opened my eyes 🫩 😭 👀 broo

BittuGoit

Darius3a

Right bro..

I also have the same opinion.

Ani_Vri_007

BittuGoit

Bro, they are acting like apple by only giving limited features on their smartphone

I think they want to become like apple by becoming a separate entity (a whole new separate type of smartphone) of having nothing OS like apple has iOS

ravindrayadav_FNtedamx3B

Akis actually as a fan we never thought you guys are going to do that also here in India 20k to 30k bloat free os also with cmf brand same thing so it’s very unique for me. Option to remove or full control is ok for me. But need some real Android 16 changes otherwise you I think you can definitely see how other os evolving themselves and Nothing is doing some which is not expected in dreams. Going backwards.😔😔😔

Honey

Guys nothing is gonna happen, they won’t be listening to us and will only try to defend themselves by just talking about revenues and all.

thisiskret

Akis The precedent it sets. This is a bad sign. Please, it isn’t too late to back out, apologize and undo the damage.

Don’t let Nothing evolve into the crab.

CMF1_hacker

Sourav_Satvaya I agree and people think it’s crazy when I say this but using the CMF1 and NP3 is 95+% the same and I enjoy them both the same, due to NOS.

The cameras are the only real difference I see.

Perhaps this will change and that would make me quite sad.

Grigius

If these are apps or services that can be disabled or uninstalled, that’s fine with me.

YashJamkar

Akis

A BIG SUGGESTION

This will really go a long way — please consider adding Netflix as a pre-installed app so that 4K HDR support can be enabled, as mentioned earlier by the Nothing team itself.If pre-installed apps are part of the plan, Netflix makes far more sense than Instagram from a value standpoint.

I’m okay with Lock Glimpse being off by default, but if someone turns it on accidentally, there should be:

a quick disable option, and

a data deletion request that ensures no user data stays with the vendor (for extra privacy assurance).

A few quick suggestions to keep Nothing OS as clean and user-first as always:

Let users opt out of partner apps during setup.

Ensure they’re fully removable and don’t return after updates.

Keep them inactive until opened — no background sync or push activity.

And maybe later on:

A small transparency page showing what’s preinstalled and why.

Keep ads and recommendations completely out of the OS.

These small steps would keep Nothing’s minimal and transparent philosophy alive even as you expand.

Warren

YashJamkar

Akis

Personally have no issues with it once there is a clear landing page which explains what data is being used and the option to withdraw at any point.

Til21

From an economic perspective and also in terms of transparency towards the end user, this is an understandable step. The only thing that bothers me is the aftertaste left by Carl’s vehement and years-long disparagement of bloatware.

Topic closed for me - it’s all find, just try to be more transparent from the start! Cheers 💯

sean (1)

If the third-party apps are not hidden away, and can be totally uninstalled without any residual spyware, then I can reluctantly accept the reason you are pre-installing these apps is for extra revenue. Shame though.

Anonymous903

sean (1) Basically every samsung user I know does not uninstall all the bloat that comes with it even though the button is right there. So there is still money to be made

Grigius

Well, we must always consider that we want things a certain way, and to get them, we must be able to obtain adequate income; the market is not simple. The important thing is not to overdo it and maintain a balance

AjayD

I am Nothing Phone 1 user and I was planning to buy the Nothing Phone 3 but looking at all this I’m confused now. I loved the bloat free experience in Nothing OS.

CMF1_hacker

Some will simply create a NOTHING debloater script or app.

Like all other phone manufacturers

😭😭😭😭😭😭

I can’t be smug any longer

JochieSantiago

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

Mojito 🇫🇷

For me, Nothing doesn’t really have a choice. When you’re a young brand, you absolutely have to bring in cash to keep the business running. Sometimes you have to make decisions you’d never have considered at the start, simply because over time, you realize it’s essential to evolve, to develop, and to keep growing. Even if customers aren’t always happy, we have to remember that some constraints are unavoidable to survive in this sector, especially when competing with the giants.

I think the message shared by Nothing is helpful; it will definitely allow them to get feedback from the community. All in all, Nothing is still a very small company in the smartphone world — even if, for us enthusiasts or users, they already play an important role. It takes courage to communicate transparently about your choices, and I hope this will help them move forward in the right direction.

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.

Amol

Mojito 🇫🇷 well said.

I’d be okay with a few select pre-installed apps (that can be deleted easily) if it helps Nothing price their products better and be competitive and survive.

Not okay with the lock screen glimpse nonsense though. Do not trust that ad wallpaper application even if it’s off by default. I hope nothing kills this partnership.

Nothing needs to be very careful here.

qwezrd

Great, thanks for shitting in my phone, it was very nice.

Stereobasic

Trust is something important. Here the promise is clearly broken, and inevitably when you break a promise, you’re more comfortable breaking others, again and again. It’s a bad signal.

Choosing Chinese spyware as a partner. The masks are falling… These people don’t want us well.

So, well, I’m disappointed, but it’s too late, I’ve already bought my phone. But now I wouldn’t recommend Nothing to my acquaintances. I really think it’s a mistake. Monetizing Essential Space would have been a more appropriate first step.

In the end, all this is a bit of an intellectual scam, it feels like buying a London phone made by 20 very talented hipsters, but in reality it’s just another Chinese phone, spying on our lives under a more presentable veneer. And they will know how to use it as a weapon if one day it is necessary. I already knew it deep down, but I liked to lull myself into sweet illusions while dreaming. Now it’s good, I’m awake.

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