Nothing Phone 1 finally gets stable Android 13 (Update: It's official)

Update: February 21, 2023 (6:26 AM ET): Nothing has finally made it official, publishing a blog post that confirms the release of Nothing OS 1.5 atop Android 13. So you should be getting it in the next few days if you haven’t received it yet.

Either way, you’re getting a ton of features and improvements here. This includes a weather app, faster fingerprint unlock speeds, better battery life, and more. You can view the full changelog in the article below.

Original article: February 17, 2023 (12:05 AM ET): The Nothing Phone 1 has finally started seeing a stable Android 13 update. The Nothing OS 1.5 update, which has been in beta since December, is now seeing a stable release with version number 1.5.2 and the January 2023 security patch.

The update was reported by a number of Nothing Phone 1 users on the company’s official Discord channel and on Reddit, reports XDA Developers. It weighs just 157MB if you had the last public beta. Of course, if you’re upgrading from the previous stable build, the OTA package would be bigger. It’s also highly possible that the current stable build is limited to open beta users. That said, the new software should roll out to all Phone 1 users in the coming weeks.

Nothing Phone 1 Android 13 update: What’s in store?

As for what the update contains, there’s a long list of improvements, including a custom weather app, Material You theming, improved audio controls, far better app loading speeds, and more. Nothing chief Carl Pei also recently reported that the update has greatly improved the battery life on the phone.

After this update, Nothing’s main goal is Nothing OS 2, as Pei told Android Authority in an exclusive interview. It will also be based on Android 13, but we’re not sure when exactly it’ll land. Perhaps the company will debut it alongside the new phone it’s planning for the US market.

Meanwhile, you can view the complete changelog for the stable Android 13 update for the Nothing Phone 1 below.

Nothing OS 1.5.2 changelog

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