Nothing OS 5.0 unveiled with new customisation and personalisation

Nothing has unveiled its new operating skin, the Nothing OS 5.0, based on Android 17 for users around the world. The London based tech company said that it is based on “the principle of pure Android, offering more control, personalisation and fun.”With that, Nothing phones will get introducing separate Notifications and Quick Settings panels. Swipe down from the left to open Notifications and from the right to open Quick Settings.Nothing OS 5.0 will have a redesigned home screen, available as an additional theme alongside the existing Nothing OS style. The widgets and the search bar will use transparent details, and Gallery as well for a consistent look.A new adaptive colour system draws from your wallpaper across the home screen. App icons receive subtle tints, widgets use adaptive colour alongside transparent details, and 1×1 Quick Settings widgets use the wallpaper’s primary colour, updating whenever your wallpaper changes.The status bar, Settings, Camera and Gallery have all been refreshed with updated icons, spacing and animations. The Gallery also has new sorting options and a redesigned album view to help people find photos faster.The system now uses the Geist typeface, with revised text sizing, more consistent corner shapes, unified blur effects and iconography across the experience.Two new lock screen clock faces arrive with this release: Gooey and Micrographics, a hardware-inspired design that surfaces the date, time, weather and upcoming meetings at a glance. Clock face colours can now be customised to match a user’s wallpaper.Home screen editing has also been improved, allowing users to select and move multiple apps and widgets across the Home screen at once.Nothing OS 5.0 will bring new widgets: Collector, which lets users build a growing visual collection of favourite objects captured via Camera or Gallery and display it on their home screen and lock screen. Away Time, tracks how long a person has stayed off their phone, their longest break and how their screen-free time changes across the week.The Glyph Interface now has its own dedicated app, bringing its features, sounds, ringtones and schedules together in one place. A new Glyph Timer widget also lets you start a timer from your home screen, while the Glyph on the back displays the remaining time.Nothing OS 5.0 also claims to improve touch response, background app retention and system resource management, helping prioritise the app in use and reduce interruptions when memory is under pressure. On-device intelligence learns which apps are used most and keeps them ready to launch, while overnight maintenance optimises memory to help sustain performance over time. System animations have been expanded and refined across apps, folders, widgets, multitasking and shortcuts.Bluetooth controls have been redesigned in Quick Settings, making it easier to find, connect and disconnect nearby devices in fewer taps. The camera also keeps detected QR codes fixed on screen, making them easier to tap without rescanning.Essential Voice claims to offer better-formatted transcriptions. Now, it can better understands when speech should become a list or remain a paragraph, reducing missed points and inconsistent formatting while preserving the original meaning. Real-time transcription now shows words as you speak and you can now also capture audio directly from the Ear 3 case with SuperMic.Essential Space will get Smart Collections, which organise scattered memories by recommending content for new and existing collections, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) support, which allows other AI tools to search and read selected Essential Space data. Using the Essential Key to capture content is now simpler and more consistent across the lock screen, home screen and apps.Essential Apps Builder will be available as an app on the phone, letting you describe, build and deploy AI-powered apps directly from your device without coding, then use them straight from your home screen.The new OS will also help cross-platform Quick Share, allowing files to be shared with iPhone and Android devices via a simple QR code with no additional apps required.New privacy enhancements now show when an app is using the camera, microphone or location, alongside clearer screen recording controls and updated location permission settings. Additional refinements include Noto 3D emojis, expanded Dark Theme support, separate Assistant volume control, higher-brightness HDR viewing and a redesigned Recents screen.Nothing OS 5.0 Open Beta begins rolling out on August 26, starting with Phone 3.