Nothing is officially pushing Nothing OS 4.0 (built on Android 16) to its budget-friendly sub-brand. After a rocky start that saw the initial rollout briefly paused for bug fixes earlier this month, the stable update is finally hitting CMF Phone 1 and Phone 2 Pro. This isn't just a security patch; it’s a full system overhaul that brings Nothing’s signature monochrome aesthetic and AI-heavy features to the CMF hardware for the first time.
Key Points:
- Public rollout of Nothing OS 4.0 (Android 16) has officially begun for CMF Phone 1.
- Features a new "Extra Dark Mode" designed for true blacks and battery saving.
- Multitasking is upgraded to support two simultaneous floating apps in Pop-up View.
- Includes an AI Usage Dashboard for monitoring on-device model processing.
The staggered rollout schedule
Nothing is playing it safe with a phased deployment to avoid the server-side crashes that hit the Phone (3) last month. Here is the current timeline:
- CMF Phone 1: The public rollout is live as of today, December 26.
- CMF Phone 2 Pro: Expect the update notification to hit your device in the coming weeks (early January).
- Nothing Phone (3a) Lite: Owners can expect the "stable" push in early January 2026, which will wrap up the general release for the current generation. The brand has noted that regional availability varies—users in India and the UK typically see the OTA (Over-The-Air) file first.
Visual and customization shifts
Don't expect a radical departure from the Nothing look, but the refinements are everywhere. Nothing OS 4.0 introduces a pitch-black Extra Dark Mode that actually saves battery on OLED panels by turning off the pixels entirely. You’re also getting redesigned status bar icons for Wi-Fi and battery that are much easier to read at a glance. The Quick Settings have been simplified into a new 2x2 tile layout, and the lock screen now supports two new "iPhone-inspired" clock faces with slim and stretched typography.
Performance and ai features
Under the hood, Nothing is leaning into transparency. The new AI Usage Dashboard (found in Essential Space) tracks exactly how much your phone is using large language models like GPT-4o or Gemini. Multitasking gets a major boost with Pop-up View 2.0, which now lets you run two floating apps simultaneously and swap between them with a swipe. For the CMF devices, which lack the complex Glyph lights of the main line, Nothing has optimized system animations to feel "heavier" and more tactile, ensuring the budget hardware feels as snappy as the flagships.
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