📱 Nothing Phone (3) - Nothing OS B4.1-260814-1733 Changelog

Firmware bot

Feedback? On your device: Go to Settings -> System -> Feedback.
Firmware rollouts are usually staggered, meaning not all users will receive the update simultaneously. This approach allows us to monitor for any issues and ensure a smooth and stable deployment.

What’s New in This Update

Essential Voice Enhancements

🔡 You can now customise whether a long-press or a double-click of the Essential Key triggers translation or transcription while typing. Set it up in Settings > Intelligence toolkit > Essential Voice > Customise Essential Key.
⌨️ Quick switch between translation and transcription is now available by long-pressing the icon on the keyboard.
🎧 Essential Voice can now be triggered via the Ear (3) Super Mic while using the keyboard.
🎙️ Optimised Essential Voice for a smoother performance.

General Improvements and Bug Fixes

✨ Gallery image editing now supports AI Eraser, helping instantly remove unwanted objects, pedestrians, or reflections with one tap.
🎚️ Optimised the volume slider animation effect at minimum volume for a more fluid feel.
🔗 Improved Bluetooth connection reliability during phone calls.
⚙️ Enhanced overall system stability.
🛡️ Updated to August 2026 security patch.

Notes:
Your device may use more power and feel warmer during installation. Performance will return to normal after the update is complete.

Sumit

Firmware bot why don’t you gave the gallery update through playstore update

Sickchild72

Firmware bot the team is 👨🏼‍🍳

S_Griff

There you are Phone 3 users, you can now stop whining about not having the AI eraser feature in the Gallery app!

Mrk_xBzVtZ2aFA

S_Griff we have the right to whine about it, since we have the top tier phone. 😁

I can’t benefit from this update, specialy the essential crap.

AyushYaduvanshi_sD5xyDzjFL

S_Griff it’s means no older models like 3a and 2a series receives this feature essential voice and ai gallery features 😑 nothing is treating there older models likee nothing 2a series have no essential button but 3a series have so

Nothing will introduce this essential voice and ai gallery features to older models by saying so cold highlighted features of nos 5.0 the main features of nos 5.0 for older models 😐

S_Griff

Mrk_xBzVtZ2aFA Phone 3 users are treated like second class now, as the 4a series is treated as the best, the flagship!

So that is why I am disappointed with Nothing and may switch to Motorola when my 3a has end of life.

AyushYaduvanshi_sD5xyDzjFL

S_Griff borhhh nothing just want to sell there new phones and they don’t care about older models they just want to sell new phones it’s really to much irritating 🫡

Mrk_xBzVtZ2aFA

@“AyushYaduvanshi_sD5xyDzjFL”#p

S_Griff never used the essential apps to be honest.

S_Griff

AyushYaduvanshi_sD5xyDzjFL Then I can now see why Carl Pei idolises Apple, he wants the company to become Apple, as when Apple releases a new product, they carefully make it so that you are forced to upgrade to get newer features, better battery health and camera quality. It seems Nothing is now following this trend.

AyushYaduvanshi_sD5xyDzjFL

S_Griff but brohh apple is very very good on giving updates just like iPhone 11 receive one extra update they give the priority to every phone and it’s normal that’s they will little bit degraded the phonee to sell newer model not like nothing that’s not give the features..

S_Griff

AyushYaduvanshi_sD5xyDzjFL I mean with older devices such as iPhone 11/12 who are getting slower performance, less battery life per charge etc…

It seems that Nothing ignores the many issues that older devices have, and prioritises the 4a series to make them seem to consumers like the best option, the bulk of Nothing users come from those who use the 2a/3a series, Phone 2 and CMF. If they left, Nothing would be struggling. So they need to focus on their large older device user segment.

Mrk_xBzVtZ2aFA

Can we at least map the essential keys to other functions, other than transcription and translation

NP3User

Anybody notice any change in the tint and black crush issue?

Til21 🇩🇪

NP3User No changes, if I had to guess it feels even worse 🤣😭

AyushYaduvanshi_sD5xyDzjFL

S_Griff yeahh atleast phone 3 got the full feature of nos 4.1 but what about us 3a /2a users 🙂 if they will not stop doing like this then soon nothing will be also a dead brand

ChrisJ_Joseph_P1NpRo6vMr

S_Griff if and only if the NOS 5.0 would be a nice overhaul That this waiting becomes fruitful.(For 2a and 3a series)

AyushYaduvanshi_sD5xyDzjFL

ChrisJ_Joseph_P1NpRo6vMr they will also cut the nos 5.0 features from nothing phone 2a / 3a just by giving some excuses

Dimas

Anyone here already installed this update and notice any improvements on the display ? I mean the green tint and black crushed, is it still there ?

peepingdog

So now NOTHING OS 5.0 in late october. 🤞

Dimas

Nope, no display improvement. The green tint and black crushed issues still there. Ouch.

grepGander

Dimas I will repeat, my friends - the issue cannot be resolved because there is no issue. The panel is low quality, this is related to its physical characteristics. The only fix would be to order an entire batch of new custom panels from another vendor (they didn’t even specify the vendor for this one, so that alone says enough) and physically replace the whole display. This is the (3)'s subpixel matrix:

It has a low 90 Hz PWM with trash amplitude:

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Nothing-Phone-3-smartphone-review-Top-class-hardware-combined-with-unrivaled-design-and-secondary-display.1096614.0.html#c14221640

So just as you can’t push a software update to turn a 32″ IPS TV into a 64″ OLED TV (and fix the “issue” of the former being an IPS), you can’t push a software update to change the PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS of a piece of hardware. No amount of updates will change that.

Edit:

I’ll quote myself:

grepGander Most OLEDs have twice as many green pixels than blue or red (because red and blue subpixels degrade faster, and because green produces more light with less current, so lower power consumption). Which is why you never see a “red tint issue” or a “blue tint issue”.

https://geometrian.com/resources/subpixelzoo/

This is the (4a) Pro for example:

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Hidden-gem-with-outstanding-design-Nothing-Phone-4a-Pro-review.1291726.0.html#c16169118

Green tint is annoying but it’s not an issue, it’s just a feature of OLED technology, and it’s how OLEDs work (how much you see it depends about PWM and/or DC dimming). But people wanted OLED instead of IPS, so here we are…

Dimas

grepGander uuummm, i dont think so. CMIIW, but i think this issues caused by software optimization. I have tried to turn on the “Disable HW Overlay” menu in the developer options and its fixed the black crushed issue when playing specific HDR video on Youtube. Just an opinion by a common user btw.

NP3User

grepGander if this is true … can somebody sue them already. Im ready to sign up any where and support you !!!

grepGander

Dimas Read this whole article, it’s explained better than I can (I’m the exact opposite of being a good explainer 😅): https://us.ktcplay.com/blogs/technology-hub/why-oled-panels-have-color-tint-shift

NP3User Ehh… Sue for using a random cheap vendor to create a custom, size-wise pretty unique panel for them (instead of going with Samsung, LG, or BOE, and with an industry standard 6.3 or 6.7x" size)? Just to put it into perspective, Apple has managed to significantly cut costs on the OLED panels for their iPhone 18 series:

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/12/iphone-18-pro-lower-oled-display-cost-report/

So if those prices were $120-ish before for Apple, they would have been at minimum 5% more expensive for any other OEM, especially for a small name like Nothing where vendors like Samsung and LG wouldn’t be able to sell huge amount of units.

I’m not a lawyer, so I really have no idea if there’s any ground to even think about suing or not. But Nothing’s behavior on the matter says a lot, and that will directly damage their reputation, so…