Hey guys,
So, I’ve been watching the community kind of tear itself apart over this new bloatware thing with Nothing, and I just wanted to share my thoughts on their "new direction."
How It Started (And Why We Cared)
Remember when Nothing first showed up? There was so much hype. While every other company was selling the same boring black rectangle, Nothing dropped the Phone (1). It was see-through, it had those cool "Glyph" lights, and everyone was talking about it.
But it wasn't just looks. They promised a clean, fast, bloat-free experience. And they delivered!
Then the Phone (2) came out. It was nice, but man, that Nothing OS 2.0 was the real star. It just felt clean, minimal, and smart. It was the "stock Android" feel we all loved. The phone was a bit pricy (₹45,000 in India) so it wasn't for everyone, but it showed they were serious.
The "Sweet Spot" That Won Us Over
The Phone (2a) is when they really nailed it. It was cheap (around ₹24k), had good cameras, a nice screen—it ticked all the boxes.
But why did it become a huge hit? Because it had two things no one else offered at that price: a unique design and 100% bloat-free software.
At a time when you buy a mid-range phone and spend the first hour deleting junk apps, Nothing was a breath of fresh air. The 3a series and the CMF phones sold like crazy for the exact same reason. They were good phones and they respected the user.
...And Then "The Change"
Then, at the end of 2025, they drop this bomb: they're adding bloatware (Facebook, etc.) and "Lock Glimpse" (which is just ads on your lock screen).
My first reaction was just... what?!
Nothing? The "no bloatware" company? Adding bloatware?
It was a total shock, and honestly, I get why people are mad. I don't like it one bit. They sold all those 2a and 3a phones based on that "bloat-free" promise, and now they're going back on it.
But... I Get It
After the shock wore off, I tried to see it from their side. Nothing is a business. They have big-name investors who want to see a profit.
Building phones is expensive. Making new AI features is expensive. And if they want to keep selling phones at those low prices, they have to make money somewhere else. Sadly, that "somewhere else" is pre-installing apps. We all saw OnePlus do the exact same thing.
So, while I absolutely do not support this, I understand it's a business decision.
Here's the one good-ish part: After everyone (rightfully) freaked out, Nothing promised that all the bloatware can be completely uninstalled. And the "ads" on the lock screen are turned off by default.
Is it great? No. But it's still better than those other phones where you're stuck with junk you can never delete.
We just have to accept that Nothing is growing up, and maybe "moving on" from the pure brand we first loved.
And we can also move on from the brand entirely if we wish to.
