Nothing Phone 1 is receiving an update to Nothing OS 2, the company’s CEO and Founder Carl Pei announced on Monday. The update brings new features that were introduced with the Nothing Phone 2 — the company’s latest handset — to its first-generation smartphone that was launched last year. It also improves the home screen and the widgets available on the home screen, while adding new app management features. Users should be able to install the update, that is rolling out in batches, over the coming days.
Pei confirmed the rollout of Nothing OS 2 to the first-generation Nothing Phone 1 on X (formerly Twitter) . You will need to download a 0.97GB file, which means you should be connected to a Wi-Fi network. It is also better to charge your smartphone before you begin installing the update. Gadgets 360 was able to confirm that the update was available to download on the Nothing Phone 1 at the time of publishing this story.
We’ve now began rolling out Nothing OS 2 for Phone (1). Thanks for everyone’s patience! As our capabilities strengthen, we’ll be able to pull in the time gap over time.
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) August 28, 2023
The Nothing OS 2 update comes with two notable app management features that made their debut with the Nothing Phone 2 — the ability to clone apps and an app locker. The former will let you create copies of apps like WhatsApp so you can log in to WhatsApp using two numbers on the same smartphone. The latter will let you protect certain apps from unauthorised access even when your phone is unlocked.
Users who install the Nothing OS 2 update will also be able to access the updated Glyph interface. It allows your apps to leave a persistent notification for important apps, while long pressing the torch option in the quick settings menu will now light up the whole Glyph interface, according to the company’s changelog.
The company has also updated the user interface on the Phone 1 with the Nothing OS 2 update. These include new home screen grid layouts for icons, and you will also be able to hide icon labels — a feature offered by third party “launcher” apps on the Play Store.
Folder customisation has also been expanded with new layouts and covers, while you can also add new widgets for the clock, weather, and Quick Look apps to the home screen, after updating your Nothing Phone 1 to the latest software release.
If you haven’t received a notification informing you that Nothing OS 2 is available to download and install, you can open the Settings app and tap System > System Update on your Nothing Phone 1 to manually check for the update. Tap the blue Download and Install button to begin and restart when you receive a prompt, in order to complete the update process.
