After the announcement of Android 14, Nothing has announced the Android-14-based Nothing OS 2.5 Open Beta 1 for Nothing Phone (2), which promises additional upgrades to Phone (1) and Phone (2). The update aims to organise the user experience and allows users to customise various settings on their mobile devices.
This update brings the option of personalisation and efficiency, including picture widgets, improved screenshot editing, design enhancements, and solid colour backgrounds.
What is New in the Nothing OS 2.5 Update?
These features are still in development and not final.
- Photo Widgets: It allows users to display their favourite photos more personally on both the home screen and lock screen.
- Screenshot Editor and Menu: A new screenshot editor and menu allow users to edit and remove unnecessary screenshots easily.
- Design Enhancements: The back gesture has several improvements integrated with unique aesthetics, offering a seamless and simple user interface.
- Solid Colour Wallpapers: Some new wallpapers are cleaner and more visually pleasing, including new solid-colour wallpapers.
The company is committed to providing an immersive software experience; however, there may be bugs and issues that Google and Nothing have yet to polish before releasing. Since it is an early version of Nothing OS 2.5, some features may be excluded.
Note: Regular users are not advised to install Nothing OS 2.5 because this build may have significant issues or crashes and can potentially brick your device.
There are still some issues with this build, including problems with fingerprint and face unlock, the Glyph feature, and the battery-sharing feature. On the other hand, the Portrait and Slow-Mo features still need to be integrated into the camera app, and some pre-installed Nothing apps are not included in the update. Even screen-to-TV connection and battery sharing are unavailable.
How to Download Nothing OS 2.5
Before you upgrade to Nothing OS 2.5, ensure that you are running on the latest version of Nothing OS. Also, keep your device charged to at least 60% to prevent accidental shutdowns and make a backup of your data.
If you are a developer, you can start with Android 14 and follow this guide to download and install Android 14 on your Nothing Phone 2. You can also roll back to the previous version if you encounter any issues.
First, you need to enrol in the Nothing OS 2.5 Beta Programme.
- Start by downloading and installing NOS v2.0.3.
- After that, upgrade your Nothing Phone 2 to Nothing OS 2.5 Beta.
- Open the device settings.
- Go to the system, then click System Update to access the update.
- Once enrolled, you can upgrade by clicking “download and install” to the latest version.
Nothing has already been confirmed that Nothing OS 2.0 is scheduled to be rolled out to Nothing Phone 1 and Phone 2, but the release date has yet to be confirmed!
How to rollback to Android 13-based Nothing OS 2.0.3:
- Download Nothing OS 2.0.3 on your Nothing Phone 2.
- Next, open Device Settings, and then go to system.
- From there, go to Update to the Beta Version.
- After that, tap “Import files” and choose Rollback Nothing OS 2.0.3 Firmware.
- Then, could you wait for it to downgrade? That is it!
You can also share your feedback on the Nothing Community. Also, during testing, it may interfere with your data and require a factory reset. In this instance, your data will be lost, so it is recommended that you keep a complete backup before upgrading to beta or rolling back.
How to Install Nothing OS 2.5 Firmware on Your Nothing Phone 2
You can install the latest firmware on your device via the Local System Update wizard.
- Download Nothing OS 2.5 and then extract the package.
- Now, create the OTA in the internal storage of the device at the root of your device.
- Move the zip file into the root of your device’s internal storage, the OTA folder you just created.
- Next, open Phone and dial ##682##, which will launch the offline update tool to start updating your device via the local system update wizard.
- After the local system update loads, it should automatically detect the package, and if it does not, patch the firmware package automatically.
- Next, tap “Directly Apply OTA” from the Select button to start updating, and then wait until the system installs the update.
- Then, it will ask you to reboot the device instantly. That is it!
Additionally, you can install the latest Android 14-based Nothing OS 2.5 via Recovery through ADB and Fastboot on Windows or Mac.
