Nothing has officially started rolling out the open beta of Nothing OS 4.0, its latest operating system built on Android 16. The update is now available for users of the Nothing Phone (3), Phone (2), Phone (2a), and Phone (2a) Plus, while the Phone (3a) series is expected to receive it next month.
There’s still no word on whether devices from CMF, the company’s former sub-brand, will be included.
The biggest addition in Nothing OS 4.0 is the arrival of Essential AI, a suite designed to gradually evolve into the company’s vision of a personalised Essential OS. Essential AI introduces two main elements:
- Essential Apps – lets users create custom apps simply by typing out prompts in everyday language, with no coding required. For instance, you could request: “Summarise my daily emails into a two-minute digest and place it in my notes app every morning at 8 AM.” Once created, these apps appear as widgets on the home screen. For now, the Phone (3) supports up to six custom widgets, while other models are limited to two.
- Playground – a community library where users can share or download Essential Apps built by others.
Founder Carl Pei described the feature as a step toward “unrestricted access, collective innovation, and hyper-personalisation.” Unlike Google’s Pixel phones with Gemini AI or Samsung’s Galaxy AI in One UI, Nothing is aiming less at raw productivity and more at deep customisation and user creativity.
Other highlights in the Nothing OS 4.0 beta include:
- A new Stretch camera preset, co-created with photographer Jordan Hemingway, is available on the Phone (2) lineup.
- Pop-up view with floating icons for faster app switching.
- Two fresh lock screen clock designs.
- 2×2 Quick Settings tiles for a more compact layout.
- Extra Dark Mode for better nighttime usability.
To join the open beta, users must first install the latest stable build and then sideload an APK file. As with any beta, there may be bugs or heating issues, so it’s not recommended for daily-driver phones. Backing up your data before installation is strongly advised.
For early adopters, Nothing OS 4.0 marks an exciting step toward a more flexible, community-driven smartphone experience. While mainstream users may prefer to wait for the stable release, the open beta gives a glimpse of where Nothing is steering its software future.
