Something to see here!
As reported by XDA Developers, Nothing is officially rolling out the public release of Nothing OS 1.5, marking the first time that non-beta users are getting a chance to enjoy the first major software update coming to the phone’s operating system. Not only will users get to experience the custom updates developed by the company itself as well as the stable release of Android 13.
As per a number of user reports on Nothing’s official Discord server and Reddit, the stable Android 13 update for the Nothing Phone 1 is up for grabs in the form of Nothing OS 1.5.2. At around 157MB in size when upgrading from the last public beta, this is a comparatively tiny update. The release also ships with the January 2023 Android security patches.
The outlet put together a list of everything that launched with Nothing OS 1.5, and there is a lot. From a new Weather app, more visual and sound customization options, and increasing battery and biometric authentication performance, there are a lot of reasons to update to the latest software. Check out the full list from the release below:
- Weather app
- New Nothing weather app
- Tapping a weather widget on the homescreen now directly opens the corresponding city in the app instead of opening a link.
- Customisation
- All new Glyph soundpack for more ringtone and notification sounds.
- More color schemes available from the wallpaper selector.
- New collection of minimalist wallpapers.
- Icons can match your background color to make your home screen look more consistent.
- Lockscreen shortcut customisations. Create shortcuts for camera, torch, device controls, and wallet.
- Improved experience
- Easily switch data usage when using dual SIM with the improved network Quick Settings panel.
- Automatically show the current network and display how much mobile data you have used in Quick Settings.
- Directly scan a QR code in the Camera app. Scanner also appears as a shortcut in Quick Settings.
- Select language preferences for different apps.
- Visual improvement
- A New look for Media Control. Puts album artwork on full display with a wider set of music controls.
- Improved volume settings panel. Allows granular volume control without unlocking the device.
- Improved Game Mode light notifications. So there is less distraction when you are playing.
- Smoother animations when transitioning the display between on and off.
- More refined Camera app interface.
- Privacy and safety
- Get an alert when an app accesses your clipboard. Cleared history after a period of time to prevent unwanted access.
- Added Personal Safety app.
- Better privacy protection including Photo Picker, nearby Wi-Fi devices permission, and select media permission.
- System performance
- Fingerprint unlock accuracy has improved by up to 12%.
- App startup speed has increased by up to 71%.
- Standby power consumption has improved by up to 50%.
- Implemented a new self-repair feature to periodically delete unused system dumps and cache.
- Increased system stability.
- General bug fixes
The outlet says that the company appears to be rolling out the software update over time instead of being available to everyone immediately, so users should expect to see the update over the course of the next week.
The update was initially available to beta users back in January as part of Nothing’s new beta program, which finally brought the Nothing Phone (1) to the United States.
