Nothing OS 1.5 is here, and it’s all about what it can do with Android 13 backing it.
In a blog post on the company’s website, technology up-comer Nothing announced Nothing OS 1.5, the first major update to the operating system that powers the Nothing Phone 1. The company revealed that the update is built on top of Android 13, which it says should provide a “smoother, more secure user experience…with exciting new custom features.”
Nothing OS 1.5 is currently in beta testing, but the company has provided a peak at what is coming with the update. One of the big additions is a new weather app that adopts the Nothing OS design. The company also says that it is bringing more elements of Android’s ‘Material You’ into the experience and that apps should load up to fifty percent faster.
You can check out the full list of updates featured in Nothing OS 1.5 below:
- Up to 50% increase in app loading speed.
- More Material You. More colour schemes available for matching third party apps to wallpaper.
- Multi-language support that allows different languages for different apps.
- Privacy upgrades. Including:
- Photo picker. Choose which images you want to share with each app.
- Notification permissions. Control which apps can send you notifications.
- Media permissions. Group the types of media you want to share e.g., photos and videos, music and audio, files.
- New QR code scanner in Quick Settings.
- Clipboard preview: copied text appears on clipboard in the bottom corner of the screen. So you can directly edit the text before pasting.
- New look for Media Control.
- Foreground services. Close active background apps directly from the notification centre to save battery.
- Live caption: detects speech on your device and automatically generates captions.
- Increased background memory. Reducing the wait for frequently used apps to load.
- New self-repair feature that keeps Phone (1) running like it’s new. By clearing unused cache and expired system dumps.
- Improved Quick Settings. Featuring new network and Bluetooth device pop-ups.
- New UI for volume control. Easily adjust individual volume sliders without unlocking the screen (e.g. music vs alarm).
- Improved Game Mode. New UI for light notifications and added Google Game Dashboard. Dashboard supports screenshots, screen recording, FPS display, and Do Not Disturb.
The company says that it plans to launch the public version of Nothing OS 1.5 in “early 2023.”
The software update comes about a week after the company revealed that it is eyeing a launch in the United States with its next smartphone, likely the Nothing Phone (2). The company already sells its wireless earbuds, like the Ear (1) and Ear (Stick) in the country, but its phone is currently a tougher find.
