Nothing OS 4.0 Stable Rolls Out To Phone (3a) And Phone (3a) Pro: What’s New

Nothing has expanded its Android 16-based Nothing OS 4.0 update rollout, starting with its initial rollout for the Phone (3) last week and now expanding to Phone (3a) Pro devices as well. This major update boasts new AI tools, sharper visuals, camera upgrades and deeper Essential Space integration; currently limited to only select users, the wider rollout will begin once Nothing is confident that all is stable.

What’s new in Nothing OS 4.0

The update brings a long list of changes, but here’s the heart of it:

AI usage dashboard

Essential Space can now automatically track your AI model usage, giving you a clearer picture of how much AI processing is happening behind the scenes.

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More control over your home screen

Your app drawer offers enhanced search-scope control that lets you manage filter results more effectively, enabling direct deletion.

Widget upgrades

Weather, Pedometer and Screen Time widgets now come in more sizes. Quick Settings tiles also get a more compact 2×2 option.

Multitasking tweaks

Pop-up view supports two floating icons, which makes switching between apps quicker. Apps can also be optimised during system upgrades for faster startup.

Essential Space & Community features

Nothing is pushing Essential Space harder this year. Flip to Record now lets you snap photos or jot notes while recording video, all saved together in one place.

Playground (Alpha) is the company’s new community-driven mini-hub featuring Essential Apps, camera presets and EQ profiles. Essential Apps themselves are powered by AI and built by creators in the Nothing community.

Visual improvements

Nothing. OS 4.0 refreshes almost every corner of the interface:

- New app icons

- Cleaner status bar symbols

- Two new lock-screen clock faces

- Extra Dark Mode for deeper blacks

- Smoother transitions throughout the UI

Glyph updates

You can now choose whether Flip to Glyph switches the phone to silent or vibrate, and Glyph Progress now uses Android 16’s Live Update system for better compatibility.

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Camera upgrades

The camera experience gets a noticeable lift:

- New default presets

- Adjustable filter intensity and new “Stretch” effects

- Longer Motion Photos with audio

- New watermarks and artistic frames

- A refreshed camera UI with better interaction logic

Before you update

Nothing recommends backing up your data and ensuring Essential Space is updated — especially if you want the enhanced Flip to Record feature to work properly.

The update is rolling out in stages, so if you haven’t received it yet on your Phone (3a) or Phone (3a) Pro, it should arrive once the initial batch clears without issues.