Summary
- Nothing OS, an Android skin developed by phone maker Nothing, features a unique dot matrix-inspired design language.
- Nothing’s out-of-box apps do an excellent job of fitting in with the brand’s aesthetic, but they’re not the only options available.
- Here are five third-party Android apps that pair splendidly with my Nothing Phone 3.
Nothing might have made a name for itself in the smartphone world with its bold and controversial hardware designs, but the thing that truly stands out to me when it comes to the Nothing Phone experience is the company’s Nothing OS skin atop of Android.
Nothing OS, now in its third-generation release, is a refreshingly clean and minimalist take on Android, with subtle tweaks made throughout the system that compliment, rather than compete with, the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
Aside from a distinct lack of bloatware, the best part of Nothing OS is its attractive, coherently implemented design language, which assumes the form of a unique dot matrix aesthetic.
Nothing has done a good job of stylizing all its in-box apps to adhere to the dot matrix appearance, and I’ve recently discovered a whole host of third-party applications on the Google Play Store that integrate equally well with Nothing OS.
Here are five apps in particular that look and feel right at home on my Nothing Phone 3, and that also pair seamlessly with every other Nothing Phone out on the market.
MissingCore Music
The missing Nothing music player
In the streaming age, offline music players have given way to the likes of Spotify, Apple Music, and other competing services, but there’s still a healthy selection of local playback options out there on Android. Missing Core Music is one such application, and it adopts a Nothing OS-inspired dot matrix aesthetic that looks and feels native to the Nothing Phone experience.
Missing Core, which is free and open-source, features a pleasingly simple user interface, customizable dot-style artwork options, and community-sourced translation built right in. It supports a wide variety of audio file formats, and it takes full advantage of Nothing hardware with its Glyph Music Visualization.
Notes: Notes with Markdown
Nothing and Notes pair well together
Notes is a simple-yet-powerful note-taking application that lets you jot down ideas, thoughts, lists, and diary entries in style. It features a Nothing-inspired interface design, complete with dot matrix visuals, red accenting, and the signature NType typeface used across all Nothing devices.
Notes is also a secure and flexible app — it provides the option to lock down your text entries via biometric authentication, and it includes a range of organizational tools for sorting through your notes via custom categories. The app is available on the Google Play Store and is free of charge.
There are several other note-taking and to-do list applications with a Nothing OS-inspired design language available on the Google Play Store — two of my personal favorites are Nothing Notes and Dothing.
Battery Health
Keep tabs on your battery status in style
There are a variety of hardware status and information apps available on the Google Play Store, but none are quite as aesthetically pleasing and minimalist as the third-party Battery Health app. Available free of charge, it surfaces details on charging status, charging source, charging cycles, battery chemistry, temperature, voltage, and more in real-time.
Battery Health might be a third-party application, but it looks and feels so native to Nothing OS, that it’s shocking to hear that Nothing didn’t play a role in its development. Of course, the app is compatible with non-Nothing handsets as well, though mileage will vary in terms of metrics accessible to display.
N Dial: Minimal Dialer
The phone app to end all phone apps
Nothing’s default phone dialer more than gets the job done, but the free, third-party N Dial app takes things to a whole new level. It features a delightful array of animations, a fully-realized Nothing OS-inspired visual design, and a dedicated contacts management section.
Even more compelling is N Dial’s included quick notes function, which lets you jot down information during an active phone call without having to fumble around with the app switcher and other note-taking apps. As far as phone dialers go, this one sticks the landing and then some.
GlyphNexus: Glyph Control
Unlock the true potential of your Nothing Phone
GlyphNexus, previously known as SmartGlyph, is a one-stop-shop Android hub that consolidates a variety of Nothing Phone tools under a single banner. The app, which can be purchased for a small single-time fee, offers tons of customization tools. With it, you can control the Glyph Interface lights of any Nothing phone model, while unlocking options like a volume indicator, a charging meter, and a timer.
GlyphNexus is fairly flexible in the sorts of options it provides, but thankfully, it’s all packaged within a relatively user-friendly app interface that looks and feels native to Nothing OS. To get the most out of the app, make sure to grant the foreground and background permissions it requests upon first-launch.
