While Nothing OS 3.1 remained exclusive to the Phone (3a) series, Nothing OS 4.1 is officially confirmed to reach older smartphones. It’s an incremental upgrade built on Android 16, but it does include some significant upgrades focusing on AI, wellness, and real-time information.
If you own a Nothing phone, here’s the full picture on Nothing OS 4.1, the eligible devices, the rollout status (now essentially complete), and the major changes it brings.
Nothing OS 4.1 update: List of eligible devices
The Nothing Phone (4a), Phone (4a) Pro, and the newer Phone (4b) ship with Nothing OS 4.1 out of the box. For older devices, Nothing rolled the update out in stages between April and June 2026 rather than publishing a formal eligibility list, every phone still on Android 16 was covered:
The device below it stays as-is (Phone (3), (3a), (3a) Lite, (3a) Pro, Phone (2), (2a), (2a) Plus, CMF Phone 2 Pro, CMF Phone 1, all confirmed received).
- Nothing Phone (3)
- Nothing Phone (3a)
- Nothing Phone (3a) Lite
- Nothing Phone (3a) Pro
- Nothing Phone (2)
- Nothing Phone (2a)
- Nothing Phone (2a) Plus
- CMF Phone 2 Pro
- CMF Phone 1
Nothing never published an official eligibility list, it simply pushed the update to every device on Android 16. All the models above have now received it.
Nothing OS 4.1 rollout status
Nothing didn’t publish a formal schedule, it shipped Nothing OS 4.1 in batches, and the rollout is now effectively finished.
Here’s how it landed:
- March 2026: debuted on the Nothing Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro out of the box.
- Late April 2026: rolled out to the Phone (3), Phone (3a), Phone (3a) Pro, Phone (2), Phone (2a), Phone (2a) Plus, CMF Phone 2 Pro, and CMF Phone 1.
- May 2026: the Phone (3a) Lite followed, completing the eligible lineup.
- Late June 2026: Nothing pushed a further OS 4.1 update carrying the June 2026 security patch and a new depth-effect lock screen to all supported models; everything except the Phone (1), which has reached the end of its update life.
The July 2026 Nothing Phone (4b) also arrived with Nothing OS 4.1 pre-installed.
With Nothing OS 4.1 wrapped up, attention now turns to the next major release. Here’s which Nothing phones are eligible for Android 17 (Nothing OS 5.0), and when it’s expected to arrive.
Nothing OS 4.1: New features and major upgrades
1. New widgets
Nothing OS 4.1 adds three new widgets, officially termed Breathing Break widgets. They offer simple breathing exercises, designed to help you reset during the day.
The new widgets are available in the widget library and can be easily added to the home screen. When you tap a widget, it starts a timer and asks you to perform inhaling and exhaling exercises.
Another meaningful change is that the Essential Apps section in the widget drawer now highlights recommended apps, which you can add to your home screen instantly.
2. Lock screen becomes more customizable
Nothing OS 4.1 introduces a new clock face from Phone (3a) Community Edition. It features an exclusive typeface style and a unique waking-up animation.
The update also adds Depth Effect, which layers the lock screen clock behind the main subject of your wallpaper, creating a 3D depth effect. Furthermore, you can adjust the clock size and alignment to create a more personalised layout.
3. AI Eraser
Nothing finally adds the “AI Eraser” feature in the native Gallery app. The feature intelligently detects bystanders and reflections, and also lets you manually select areas to remove.
Nothing says users’ data stays private with no cloud processing, though this feature removes the Ultra XDR effect. That also means you don’t need an active internet connection to use AI Eraser.
4. Live Updates with Glyph Bar
Live Updates in Nothing OS 4.1 keep real-time updates visible across the Always-On Display, Status Bar, Lock Screen, and Notifications. This is a small but useful change that further reduces the time to check the progress of an ongoing activity. The Live Updates feature now also works with Glyph Bar.
5. Camera and other changes
Nothing OS 4.1 adds a new Cricket preset for RCB fans, which shows a Nothing x RCB watermark. The brand is also the title sponsor of the IPL team.
The update also adds support for Playground Sync, allowing users to import photo presets from Nothing Playground in just a few taps. There’s also a new power-saving recording feature, which automatically lowers the screen brightness during video recording to save battery.
We’ll keep an eye on the latest developments around Nothing OS 4.1 and post them in the Nothing section. You can visit the page regularly to get the latest updates. Or, join our Telegram channel to get notified whenever we post such stories.
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