According to GSM Arena, Nothing has officially begun the stable rollout of Nothing OS 4.0, which is based on Android 16, for the CMF Phone 1. The company is pushing the update in phases, so not every user will see it immediately. For other devices, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is scheduled to get the update “in the coming weeks.” Meanwhile, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is on a later schedule, with its rollout set to begin “at the beginning of January.” The update promises a more refined experience with visual refreshes and deeper system customization.
The Staggered Update Dance
Here’s the thing about Nothing’s announcement: it’s classic modern smartphone update strategy. They’re managing expectations and server load by rolling it out in phases for the CMF Phone 1. But the more interesting part is the clear tiering for their other devices. The CMF Phone 2 Pro gets it in “coming weeks,” which could mean anything from next Tuesday to late December. The Phone (3a) Lite, positioned as the most budget option, gets pushed to January. It’s a clear pecking order. This isn’t necessarily bad—it’s pragmatic—but it does mean if you bought into the CMF ecosystem, your software experience is now on a schedule. You can check the official community announcement and the rollout update thread for the latest status.
What’s the Big Deal with OS 4.0?
So, what’s actually new? Nothing’s press line is all about a “more refined and personal experience.” That usually translates to new widgets, maybe some lock screen customization, tweaked system icons, and under-the-hood optimizations for “smoother” use. The jump to Android 16 is the real headline, bringing Google’s latest core features and security patches to the party. For a brand built on a unique software aesthetic, these visual refreshes are key. But let’s be real: for most users, the biggest win is just getting the latest Android version without a year-long wait. That’s something brands like Nothing, with their relatively clean software skin, can actually do reasonably well.
The Hardware Context
Now, this rollout is happening across a pretty interesting hardware spread. The CMF Phone 1 is the budget modular darling, the Phone 2 Pro is the current higher-end model, and the (3a) Lite is the newest entry-point. Releasing a major OS update across such a range, including a phone that’s essentially a repurposed CMF Phone 1 in some markets, is a decent commitment to software support. It’s a signal that if you buy a Nothing or CMF device, you’re not immediately forgotten. Of course, the proof is in how long they keep this up. Will the original Nothing Phone (1) get this? The silence there is pretty loud.
