What you need to know
- Nothing OS 2.5 Beta 2 is rolling out to testers, bringing with it several key areas of improvements for the Phone (2)'s Glyph lighting interface.
- Nothing is also squashes several software bugs and bringing more gesture options to its users.
- A community update video showed off Nothing OS' new pedometer and media widgets and spoke to more "frequent" updates arriving through the Play Store.
Nothing is rolling out the next beta for its Android 14 software, which builds up its original OS 2.5 testing.
According to a Nothing community post, the UK-based brand is detailing all the information users enrolled in its beta need to know about Nothing OS Beta 2.5 Beta 2. The latest testing is bringing in several improvements to the Phone (2)'s Glyph lighting interface such as a completely new animation whenever its NFC capabilities are utilized.
Additional Glyph additions are as follows:
- Glyph Progress integration for Google Calendar. Keep track of your upcoming events with a 5-minute countdown via the Glyph Interface.
- Glyph Timer now supports time presets, allowing you to quickly set your desired duration.
- Glyph Timer can now be opened directly from the lock screen without unlocking.
- Added an option to open the Glyph Timer pop-up window by tapping instead of holding. This also works with the Quick Settings widget.
Elsewhere, Nothing is looking to patch in further software improvements such as Predictive Back gaining support on all of Nothing's apps. Beta 2 is adding more options for users interested in using the double-press power button gesture, as well.
The three-finger swipe gesture's reliability has been improved and Nothing is rolling in "several" updated status bar icons. A bit of house cleaning for OS 2.5 Beta 2 includes general bug fixes and "minor" UI improvements.
Accompanying the latest beta, the company posted its Q3 2023 community update video detailing what users can expect with Nothing OS 2.5. Aside from reiterating some of what came with Nothing OS 2.5 Beta 1, the update video shed some light on what's coming for widgets, such as a new pedometer. Users can easily track their desired amount of steps, displayed by a unique running animation, or swipe up on the widget to get into the specifics.
Nothing is also honing in some community feedback by bringing a media widget. This tool lets users navigate media such as music or a podcast from any source while tapping it pauses or plays the content. Users can view album/artist information and skip songs.
Moreover, Nothing is leaning on the Google Play Store for its updates meaning users are in for more consistent improvements for their widget as it won't be tied to larger OS updates moving forward.
To get started with Beta 2, Nothing has provided a link on its changelog page to download its "NOS_Beta_Tool.apk" installer. Users can then navigate into their device's Settings > System > Updates to unravel all that's new. Ensure your data is backed up somewhere before progressing as accidents can happen with experimental software.
Nothing but a good phone
Nothing's Phone (2) could be seen as a solid entry point to the world of smartphones. The London-based company takes what's good about the Android OS and builds upon it in a unique way. The Phone (2) itself features its easily recognizable rear Glyph lighting interface shows order progress while its 6.7-inch display is fun and eye-catching.
