Nothing Brings Android 16 to Phone (3a) Series with Nothing OS 4.0 Beta

If you’re a Nothing Phone (3a) or (3a) Pro user itching to try out the latest features before anybody else, Nothing just started rolling out its Nothing OS 4.0 Open Beta—bringing Android 16 into the hands of early adopters.

Here’s what’s new, what to expect, and how you can join if you’re feeling the adventurous sort.

What’s Actually New in Nothing OS 4.0 Beta?

• Visual Refresh: There’s a complete icon redesign—lighter, more refined, and sticking to the signature “Nothing” visual vibe. It’s a small change on the surface, but honestly, it helps make things feel a lot more consistent and distinct.
• Lock Glimpse: This is a new lock screen preset that delivers fresh, high-quality wallpapers tailored to your taste. Not only that, it can soon pull in your own photos and display timely updates, so every time you unlock, it really does feel personal.
• Android 16 Under the Hood: All the OS 4.0 improvements are powered by the latest version of Android, so you’ll have a more up-to-date base and access to new privacy and feature tweaks out of Google’s labs.

Who Can Try It?

Only folks running the latest stable Asteroids-V3.2 build on their Phone (3a) or (3a) Pro can enroll. The deadline for joining this beta is November 7, so you’ve still got some time.

How To Join (And Bail Out If Needed)

If you want in, there’s a “Beta Updates Hub” .apk you’ll need to install, then you just follow the bounce: Settings > System > Nothing Beta Hub, and tap “Join Beta.” After that, the update becomes available to download and install—pretty straightforward.

As always, back up your data. Beta means beta: expect bugs and glitches as part of the package. If you ever want to roll back to stable (Nothing OS 3.5), they’ve included rollback packages—but that’ll wipe your data, so be ready.