Nothing OS 5.0 lands on the Phone 4a Pro, but a few pieces are missing

Nothing built its reputation on phones and software that looked unlike anything else in the Android crowd. Its recent changes haven’t always landed smoothly — even CEO Carl Pei admits the company may have moved too quickly — but its next major update appears to be finding its footing. After debuting on the Nothing Phone 3, the Android 17-based Nothing OS 5.0 Open Beta is now rolling out to the Nothing Phone 4a Pro.

The 2.73GB update arrives more than a week later than Nothing’s early September target. Phone 4a Pro owners can enroll through Beta Hub, although Nothing says the update may take up to five minutes to appear.

Nothing OS 5.0 gives the software a broad visual refresh, including the Geist typeface, redesigned settings and camera interfaces, refined status bar icons, smoother animations, and wider dark theme support. Users can also customize the lock screen clock color, try a new clock face, browse a redesigned wallpaper gallery, and move multiple home screen icons at once.

Android 17 contributes separate notification and Quick Settings panels, three-color privacy indicators, Noto 3D emoji in Gboard, improved Live Updates, and more convenient Bluetooth controls. The latter lets users connect to or disconnect from devices directly through Quick Settings.

Nothing also moved its Glyph features into a dedicated app and added Collector, Away Time, and Glyph Timer widgets. Camera improvements include dual-view video using the front and rear cameras simultaneously, better zoom and close-up performance, steadier QR code detection, and refinements to Motion Photos, Google Lens, and HDR brightness controls.

Some previously announced features remain absent from this beta. The redesigned home screen and Micrographics clock face will arrive with the general release beginning in October. Essential Apps Builder access is expanding gradually, while Essential Space will gain MCP support in October and a redesigned capture experience in November. Real-time translation for Essential Voice is due later this year.

Nothing is also planning to let users remap the Essential Key in Nothing OS 5.1, but that option isn’t part of this release.

The Phone 4a Pro beta enrollment window will remain open for seven days, but the update isn’t available in Japan due to local certification hurdles. As with any prerelease software, users should expect potential bugs and are advised to back up important data before installing.