UK-based smartphone company Nothing, co-founded by Carl Pei, has started rolling out the Open Beta of its new Nothing OS 4.0 for the Phone (3a) series. The update brings a fresh feature called Lock Glimpse, offering new ways to personalise the lock screen. But what’s catching attention is that Nothing is now testing pre-installed third-party apps on some non-flagship models, a first for the brand that always promoted minimal, clean software.
This new step raises one big question: Is bloatware coming to Nothing phones? Time will tell.
What’s New In The Nothing OS 4.0 Update?
The highlight of the Nothing OS 4.0 update is Lock Glimpse, a feature that gives your lock screen a visual refresh.
Users can now swipe left on the lock screen to access it and choose wallpapers from nine unique categories. The feature is turned off by default and is completely optional.
Nothing has clarified that no personal data is collected if you enable Lock Glimpse. Future updates may let users add personal photos instead of standard wallpapers. The idea is to make every unlock moment feel fresh and personal.
Nothing’s co-founder, Akis Evangelidis, said the goal is to make smartphone experiences simpler and more thoughtful. “We want to add new features without making things complicated, keeping users in full control,” he wrote in a blog post.
Nothing Phone 3a Features & Bloatware Debate
For the first time, Nothing will add a curated list of third-party apps, such as Instagram, to selected non-flagship phones.
Evangelidis said these apps are chosen for popularity and usefulness. He explained that these changes help the company stay financially stable while keeping the experience high-quality.
However, users don’t need to worry about clutter. All pre-installed apps can be easily deleted, and Nothing says it will stay transparent about every change.
Evangelidis admitted that building a new smartphone brand in a market full of big names is tough.
He promised that Nothing will continue to listen to user feedback and focus on keeping its software clean, simple, and user-friendly.
