What you need to know
- Nothing Phone (1) joins the Android 14 Beta 3 list starting today.
- The announcement further reveals Nothing OS 2.0's timeframe.
- As Carl Pei promised, it will arrive on the Phone (1) by the end of this month.
Nothing was one of the few OEM makers that announced Android 14 Beta 3 for its Phone (1) on the same day the Google I/O event was held this year. According to the company, it was part of the second phase of the Developer Preview Program. Starting Wednesday, Phone (1) users are granted access to the latest Android 14 Beta 3.
Nothing took to social media to announce the availability of the beta software for Phone (1) users. According to the changelog from the previous announcement post, the new beta will support API level 34 based on Android 14 Beta 3 and some with several changes.
It's here.Phone (1) users, we have an exciting update for you. We're granting you access to Android 14 Beta 3. The next stage of the Developer Preview Program is now live! pic.twitter.com/eaE5qlac8AAugust 2, 2023
The update includes new and updated pre-installed apps, including the Nothing launcher, weather, and recorder, and there will be a new pack of Nothing widgets. There are notable issues with the new beta that Nothing mentions to its users before installing the latest beta; they include the following:
- Fingerprints can't be registered
- Face unlock unavailable
- Glyph features unavailable
- Battery sharing unavailable
- No Portrait Mode or slow motion feature in the camera app
- No pre-installed Nothing Weather and Nothing X apps
- Screen cast to TV connection unavailable
Nothing launched the Phone (2) recently with the newer Nothing OS 2.0 software, which includes interesting new features alongside a new Glyph Composer with sound packs available from Swedish House Mafia. The company further disclosed in the tweet that the next iteration of in-house developed Nothing OS 2.0 will be available to Phone (1) users by the end of August, corroborating the previous update given by the company's CEO, Carl Pei, back in June.
Pei previously mentioned software support for older devices is crucial so that Phone (1) users don't feel left out; that's probably why the Glyph Composer feature was expanded to Phone (1) when it initially launched with the Phone (2).
The new Nothing Phone (2) is the latest flagship from Carl Pei, and the company's first official smartphone to come to the United States. It features a unique LED light setup on the back that can be used for notifications and more.
