What you need to know
- Nothing OS 1.5 is now official for Phone (1) users.
- The Android 13-based update brings several improvements and visual enhancements.
- The update includes a new weather app, photo picker, and QR code scanner, along with fixes.
Nothing has announced its much anticipated Android 13 update to users on Tuesday. After rolling out the first beta program to Phone (1) users in December, the company is bringing the Android 13 at large with the Nothing OS 1.5 update.
In the announcement blog post, Nothing says the new update ought to bring the smoothest and most secure experience that involves new custom features. The features of Nothing OS 1.5 include app improvements, customization options, visual enhancements, privacy upgrades, and improved experiences.
Let’s go. The official rollout of Nothing OS 1.5 has begun. Powered by Android 13 for our smoothest, most secure user experience. To upgrade Phone (1), head to Settings > System Update. Learn more: https://t.co/qfnlBmEDxu pic.twitter.com/ATlYAzfz5bFebruary 21, 2023
The Phone (1) is one of its kind in design, particularly the glyph interface and sounds/ringtones associated with it, which it incorporates on its rear. The Nothing OS 1.5 will have a new glyph sound pack, which includes ringtones and notification sounds.
Since the update is based on Android 13, the new OS update also has several "Material You" inspired perks. The color schemes are coming to Phone (1), which matches UI elements with third-party wallpapers. There is a new clipboard preview, which was introduced in Android 13 by Google. Other visual changes can be seen for Media Control, as the update brings a new look and puts album artwork on "full display with a wider set of music controls."
There are noticeable system-wide performance improvements as well. Users can now expect shoorter wait times for their apps to reload, as the update now has increased background memory. Nothing is also introducing a self-repair feature that clears the unused cache and unnecessary system to keep things smoother on the Phone (1).
While these happen to be significant changes coming with the Nothing OS 1.5, here's a full changelog provided by Nothing:
App improvements
- New Nothing weather app.
- Refined camera app interface.
- Up to 50% increase in app loading speed.
Customization
- New Glyph sound pack. More Glyph ringtones and notification sounds.
- More “Material You”, meaning more colour schemes available for matching third party apps to wallpaper.
- Lockscreen shortcut customisations. Create shortcuts for camera, torch, device controls, and wallet.
Improved experience
- Easily switch data usage when using dual SIM with the improved network Quick Settings panel.
- New QR code scanner in Quick Settings and in the camera app.
- Multi-language support that allows different languages for different apps.
- Clipboard preview. Copied text appears on the clipboard in the bottom corner of the screen. So you can directly edit the text before pasting.
- Foreground services. Close active background apps directly from the notification centre to save battery.
Visual enhancements
- New look for Media Control. Puts album artwork on full display with a wider set of music controls.
- Improved volume control. Easily adjust individual volume sliders without unlocking the screen (e.g. music vs ringtone).
- Less distracting notifications whilst in Game Mode. Now with Google Game Dashboard. Dashboard supports screenshots, screen recording, FPS display, and Do Not Disturb.
- Live caption: detects speech on your device and automatically generates captions.
- Smoother animations when transitioning the display between on and off.
Privacy upgrades
- Photo picker. Choose which images you want to share with each app.
- Media permissions. Group the types of media you want to share e.g., photos and videos, music and audio, files.
- Alerts when an app accesses your clipboard. Then cleared history after a period of time to prevent unwanted access.
- Added Personal Safety app.
System performance
- Increased background memory. Reducing the wait for frequently used apps to load.
- New self-repair feature that keeps Phone (1) running like it’s new. By clearing unused cache and expired system dumps.
- Increased system stability.
- General bug fixes.
Nothing took its time getting Android 13 to its sole smartphone, months after companies like Google, Samsung, OnePlus, and others began updating various models. Still, it's great that the company kept its promise to bring the update during Q1 after ensuring it was up to its standards.
The company recently began rolling out stable Nothing OS 1.5.2 to beta users first, but this latest update to Android 13 gets a wider rollout to anyone with a Nothing Phone (1). Hopefully, its next major update will arrive quicker, even with the company's plans to bring another phone to the market.
To update your phone, navigate to Settings > System update.
Nothing Phone (1) debuted as the first mid-range smartphone that featured a glyph interface at the back. Backed by former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, the Phone (1) does stand out with its unique see-through design on the rear and powered by Snapdragon 778G+ underneath.
