Nothing begins Android 16 rollout with Live Updates in Glyph, redesign, new features

Ben Schoon | Nov 21 2025 - 6:10 am PT

Nothing is starting its rollout of Android 16 this week, and in the new Nothing OS 4.0 there are a bunch of updates including the ability to show Live Updates in Glyph, redesigns throughout, and more.

Nothing OS 4.0 is just Nothing’s name for its Android 16 update, but it delivers quite a few features and tweaks that are specific to Nothing’s skin. It breaks down into the following changes:

Updated icons for first-party apps
Updated status bar icons
New lock screen clocks
Faster, smoother animations
Haptic feedback with volume slider
“Glyph Progress” integrates with Android 16 Live Updates
Pop-up view now docks floating apps to the side of the display
“Extra Dark Mode” makes everything darker
Hidden icons in app drawer (accessible via search)
More widget sizes for Nothing widgets
Universal search settings (filters)
Essential Apps (AI-generated widgets)
AI Dashboard
Essential Memory in Essential Space (coming soon)

Looking closer at one of the key changes, Nothing has a new way to use its “Glyph Interface,” with the “Glyph Progress” integrating with Live Updates in Android 16. On older devices, the lights on the back will count up or down based on your Live Updates, while the display on the back of Nothing Phone (3) will show a slider.

Nothing explains:

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Stay informed without the distraction. Rides, deliveries, and timers now sync across your screen and the Glyph Interface, showing progress through light and motion. Built on Android 16, we are no longer limited to specific partnerships. We will begin integrating most apps that support this feature into Glyph Progress, rapidly expanding compatibility for the services you use most.

Nothing Phone (3) will also get a few more specific features such as saving an “extra Glyph Mirror selfie” when using the Glyph display to take a selfie, the ability to choose between vibrate and silent modes with Flip to Glyph, a “Pocket Mode” that disables the Glyph Matrix display when the phone is in your pocket – how that wasn’t a thing already is a mystery to me – and additional Hourglass and Lunar Cycle Glyph Toys.

Nothing OS 4.0 with Android 16 is rolling out starting today on Ntohing Phone (3) and will expand to other devices “over the coming weeks.” CMF Phone models will be updated before the end of 2025, while the recently-launched Nothing Phone (3a) Lite – the one with the sketchy lock screen ads – won’t be updated until “early next year.”