What you need to know
- Nothing has been rolled out of its OS 2.5.6 for the flagship Phone 2, adding notable new features with bug fixes.
- The other fixed issues include lock screen widgets not showing up occasionally and back gestures that sometimes lacked haptic feedback
- The update also includes the June security patch and refinements to ChatGPT.
Nothing has announced a new staggered firmware rollout to its flagship Phone 2 this week, which includes new features in addition to improvements and bug fixes.
The update, dubbed Nothing OS 2.5.6, comes right after the OS 2.5.5 released in April, bringing ChatGPT integration to the Phone 2. It also added conversation functionality to the recent Ear and "Ear a" buds. The latest firmware, however, brings in nifty new features, like a new option in Settings that lets users hide or show the navigation bar.
In a community post, Nothing explains features, like adding a custom option that lets users enable or disable the swipe action required to access the Quick Settings pane from the top of the lock screen. Additionally, Status bar icons can now be customized with new options that can be accessed via display settings on the Phone 2. Google's latest June security patch is the other notable thing added with the new update.
While the complete changelog can be viewed from the aforementioned community post, here are the primary improvements included with the OS 2.5.6:
- New Quick Settings Widget animations for enhanced engagement.
- Optimized compatibility with some carrier networks.
- Enhanced UI of carrier names.
The latest firmware release refines the ChatGPT integration from the previous update to Phone 2, which will likely improve the AI service's overall experience. The new update also fixes an issue preventing cloned apps from functioning while on a VPN network.
The other fixed issues include lock screen widgets not showing up occasionally and back gestures that sometimes lacked haptic feedback. Lastly, the overall stability improvements will be seen with the OS 2.5.6 release on the Phone 2.
While the Phone 2 getting regular updates is a welcome move from Nothing, its CEO Carl Pei has stated that its successor, Phone 3, isn't coming this year, breaking the company's annual flagship release schedule. The CEO further mentioned that Nothing's been "designing and prototyping AI interactions," which are likely to be improved and witnessed on the Phone 3, which now has a launch pushed to next year.
"It's important we get the product right, integrating hardware and AI in a way that is both useful and brings a smile to people's faces," Pei added in his recent X post.
There's been a lot of hype around AI. Some great, some confusing. It’s great to see new companies rethinking the user experience and form factors. However, there is no doubt that smartphones will remain the main consumer AI form factor for the foreseeable future. With over 4… pic.twitter.com/ERJc7xhwBaJune 5, 2024
