What you need to know
- Following user backlash after Nothing's OS 4.0 beta for the 3a series, the company says it will provide a way to remove bloatware.
- "Later this month," Nothing says users will have a way to remove the excess Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Services.
- Nothing dropped its OS 4.0 Open Beta late in October for the 3a series, shortly after the flagship Phone 3 got its turn.
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Nothing's OS 4 made some big moves, but its users aren't happy about everything, especially when it comes to the company's recent decision about bloatware.
Bloatware is all of the "unwanted" apps that come pre-installed on a phone when you first turn it on. This could be games, social media apps, and more, and that's exactly what Nothing users have been furious about on its community forum (via 9to5Google). User feedback was so immense that Nothing recently updated its community on the state of bloatware in OS 4. The update says, "Following your feedback and suggestions," it will look to make pre-installed services "more flexible."
The company is also looking to give users "more control" over the bloatware installed on their devices.
What this means is, beginning "later this month," Nothing will give users the option to completely uninstall the Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Services. Nothing says that it previously only let users disable the aforementioned Meta products, but giving users an uninstall option really puts that power back in their hands. It says that having these on your device brings better stability to the likes of Instagram and Facebook.
To backtrack, Nothing said in its OS 4.0 Open Beta post that it was looking to pre-install "partner apps and services" to help its BOM costs (Bill of Materials). While the company said this is a common approach, even one that Samsung does, users didn't enjoy it. One user cited statements made by Nothing's official X account (formerly Twitter), which says, "Nothing OS takes out the bloatware."
There was even one by Nothing's CEO Carl Pei from 2022, which said, "no bloatware," in reference to the company's product.
Nothing OS 4 shakes things up
The Nothing OS 4.0 Open Beta got off to a fast start toward the end of October, as the company brought in Phone 3a and 3a Pro users. Among its major highlights, the update included camera changes, Lock Glimpse, and a visual overhaul. Lock Glimpse is designed to bring users a curated selection of lock screen wallpapers. Once displayed (enabled) for your lock screen, Lock Glimpse will rotate different wallpapers every time you turn on your screen.
Additionally, engaging with the "Left swipe to explore" feature lets users quickly swipe through other recommendations while looking at their locked device.
Nothing also partnered with photographer Jordan Hemingway to bring a more "cinematic" approach to user photos with a new preset. The flagship Phone 3 had already gotten into OS 4.0's beta environment in July, before it hit Open Beta two months ago.
