Nothing keeps its update promise as Android 16 lands on Phone 3, here’s what’s new

Android 16 publicly debuted in June, but users beyond Pixels and select Samsung Galaxy phones had to wait a while before the stable update landed on their phones. Nothing rolled out Nothing OS 4.0 open beta in October and promised that the stable update would land in November. True to its promise (down to the date, impressively), Nothing is now rolling out Android 16-based Nothing OS 4.0 to its phones, starting with the Nothing Phone 3.

Nothing OS 4.0 begins rolling out today onwards for the Nothing Phone 3. The company promises that the update will reach the rest of Nothing’s phone lineup (except 3a Lite) over the coming weeks, and to CMF smartphones by the end of the year. Nothing Phone 3a Lite is expected to receive the update early next year.

The highlight of the Nothing OS 4.0 update is that it is based on Android 16. Nothing remains focused on providing faster responses, cleaner visuals, and smoother interactions.

Here’s a summary of all the changes coming with this update:

• Visuals & UI Interface
  • Icon Refresh: Introduction of new “minimalist” native app icons and a standardized, simplified status bar design (Wi-Fi, battery, data) inspired by Android 16.
  • New Lock Screen Clocks: Refreshed clock fonts and the addition of two new clock faces.
  • Dark Mode: Introduction of “Extra Dark Mode” featuring deeper blacks and improved contrast for power saving and low-light visibility.
  • Hidden Icons: Ability to hide apps from the drawer without moving them to a Private Space; accessible only via search.
  • New Widget Sizes: Added 1×1 and 2×1 layout options for Weather, Pedometer, and Screen Time widgets.
• Productivity & Functionality
  • Expanded Glyph Progress: Now integrated with Android 16, allowing broad compatibility with most third-party apps for tracking rides, deliveries, and timers (removing previous restriction to specific partnerships).
  • Multitasking: A refined “Pop-up View” allowing for Dual Windows (two floating apps simultaneously) with gesture switching.
  • System Dashboard: A new “System and Apps Dashboard” allows users to view background processes and optimize performance with a single tap.
• AI & Customization
  • AI Widget Generation: The new “Essential Apps (Playground)” feature enables users to generate functional widgets through natural language chat with AI, eliminating the need for coding.
  • Widget Drawer: A centralized hub for managing user-created and community-collected widgets.
  • AI Privacy Transparency: A new status bar hint indicates when an LLM (Large Language Model) is active, paired with a Usage Dashboard to track AI activity.

In addition to the above, certain new features are exclusive to the Nothing Phone 3:

• Glyph Mirror Selfie: Utilizes the Glyph Interface to create a “Matrix-style” reflection for selfies, which can be saved to the gallery.
• Smarter Flip to Glyph: Users can now toggle between Vibrate or Silent modes when placing the phone face down.
• Pocket Mode: Automatic disabling of the Glyph Matrix when the device detects it is in a pocket to prevent accidental triggers.
• New Glyph Toys: Two new visual features: Hourglass (visualizing passage of time) and Lunar Cycle (tracking moon position).

Further, Nothing is promising an update arriving soon for Essential Space that will add contextual understanding to saved items, allowing users to retrieve saved content via natural language queries.