Nothing announced via a community post the next stage of its beta program: the release of the first open beta of Nothing OS 2.5 for Nothing Phone (2). The update includes a number of new features and improvements, as well as an exclusive preview of Android 14.
Just like the company did with Android 13 and as promised earlier this year, once Google started the Android 14 Beta Program, Nothing has now officially announced that Nothing OS 2.5 beta is ready for public testing. This announcement follows a developer preview that became available in May for Phone (1).
This beta version presents Android 14 to Nothing Phone (2) owners who do not hesitate to test software and report bugs at the expense of possible problems with the user experience or with features. Since Nothing OS is a proprietary version of Android specific to Nothing phones, the features and improvements found in this update are both exclusive to Nothing and general to the latest Android operating system.
Nothing OS Exclusive Features
- Updated the Widget Library interface so that Nothing widgets appear more clearly.
- New photo widget, allowing you to display your favorite photos on both your home screen and lock screen.
- New screenshot editor and menu, allowing more advanced editing features and quick deletes.
- Updated back gesture design to be more in line with Nothing’s style.
- Added the ability to hide app icons on the home screen and app drawer. Swipe right in the app drawer to reveal hidden app icons.
- Quickly capture screenshots with a simple three-finger swipe.
- Customize the double press of the power button to quickly access a chosen feature.
- Redesigned a common home screen and lock screen customization page for a more comprehensive view of options.
- Introduction of Glass Filter to make your favorite wallpapers even more unique.
- New solid color wallpapers for a cleaner home screen appearance.
Android 14 Features
- Added a monochrome color theme to the base colors section.
- New back gesture when interacting with apps
- Updated Quick Settings layout and added Nothing earphone icons.
- More lock screen shortcut options including Do Not Disturb, Mute, QR Code Scanner and Video Camera.
- It is now possible to set sound volumes for ringtones and notifications separately, with an updated volume control interface.
- Added regional settings so you can customize your unit and number preferences
To download and install Nothing OS 2.5 Open Beta 1 on your Nothing Phone (2), you must already have Nothing OS 2.0.3 installed, which is the version rolled out last month. However, the update is not done OTA (over-the-air) and requires downloading and installing an APK file directly from your phone. Instructions and installation file download can be found here on the Nothing Community blog.
Additionally, since this is beta software and things can most certainly go wrong, the company has also provided instructions on how to roll back to the previous version. Be aware, however, that restoring will restore your phone to factory settings, resulting in data loss.
