Nothing has started distributing Nothing OS 5.0, based on Android 17, to the Phone (4a), Phone (4a) Pro, Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro. The finished builds were posted on Friday, 30 October 2026, bringing four more phones into the company’s general Android 17 rollout.
The update is not arriving on every device at the same time. Nothing is using a staged rollout, and has said that availability can differ according to the region and device. That means owners in India may see the update at different times even when they use the same model. The company’s update page now lists these four phones alongside the Phone (3), which began receiving the finished release on 12 October 2026.
How to check for the update
Owners can manually look for the new software by opening Settings > System > System update. Nothing’s changelogs for the Phone (4a) Pro, Phone (4a), Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro ask users to back up their photos, call logs and contacts before installing the package. The notices also warn that the handset could become warmer and consume more power while the installation is in progress.
| Phone | Nothing OS 5.0 build |
|---|---|
| Phone (4a) Pro | C5.0-261021-1625 |
| Phone (4a) | C5.0-261023-2145 |
| Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro | C5.0-261023-2146 |
What changes with Nothing OS 5.0
The most visible change is a new option to divide the pull-down shade into two sections. Notifications can appear on one side, while Quick Settings—including controls for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and the torch—sit on the other. The option is available under Settings > Notifications > General > Notifications and Quick Settings.
Bluetooth controls also require fewer steps: tapping a Bluetooth device in Quick Settings can now connect or disconnect it directly. Nothing has added another home-screen convenience as well. After long-pressing the home screen and selecting Arrange, users can move several icons together instead of repositioning them individually.
Visual customisation is expanded through a new Translucent theme. It gives the home screen a frosted-glass appearance that draws colour from the wallpaper, and can be enabled through Customisation > Theme & Style > Translucent. The lock screen receives two additional clock faces and an option to choose the clock’s colour.
Nothing has also added a three-colour dot to the status bar. The indicator is designed to show when the phone is carrying out certain background activity, including sensitive access, location use or AI processing. The update therefore combines interface changes with more visible status information, while the staged release means eligible Indian users may need to wait for the package to reach their particular device.
- Nothing OS 5.0 is based on Android 17.
- The Phone (4a), Phone (4a) Pro, Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro are receiving the update in stages.
- New features include a split notification shade, the Translucent theme, additional lock-screen clocks and direct Bluetooth controls.
