In this guide, we will show you the steps to download and install the latest Nothing OS 3 based on Android 15 onto Nothing Phone 2A/Plus. While it was always going to be a tough job to make your presence felt in the budget domain, but this OEM managed to do just that, and in quite some style. Thanks to its unique design hardware and intriguing software in the form of a Glyph interface, it managed to strike the right chord with its audiences. If we talk about its update cycle, then it is proving to be quite an active player in this domain as well.
Most of its devices have already got a taste of the Vanilla Ice Cream and are enjoying a slew of goodies. From the much-talked-about Shared Widgets to Lock Screen and Quick Settings tweaks, Smart Drawer, and numerous camera improvements, there are a plethora of things to look forward to. So without any further ado, let’s make you aware of the steps to download and install Nothing OS 3 based on Android 15 on your Nothing Phone 2A/Plus.
Table of Contents
What’s New in Nothing OS 3 Android 15
Here are all the new and noteworthy features in the latest Nothing OS 3.0 for your Phone 2A/Plus:
Shared Widgets
Use widgets to link up with friends and family. See another person’s widgets displayed on your home screen and interact with each other through reactions. A new way to stay connected.
Lock screen
- New lock screen customization page. Access by long-pressing the lock screen.
- Upgraded clock faces. Choose your favorite style.
- Expanded widget space, allowing you to place more widgets on your lock screen.
Smart Drawer
- Added AI-powered Smart Drawer feature to automatically categorize your apps into folders. For better organization and easy access.
- For ultimate convenience, you can pin your favorite apps to the top of the app drawer. No scrolling is required.
Quick Settings
- Reconsidered Quick Settings design with an optimized editing experience.
- Enhanced widget library design.
- Updated visuals in Settings including better Network & Internet and Bluetooth options.
Camera improvements
- Faster camera launch speed under the Camera Widget.
- Reduced HDR scene processing time.
- Optimized portrait effects by fine-tuning blur intensity based on face size.
- Boosted camera performance in low-light environments.
- Improved zoom slider display.
Enhanced pop-up view
- Movable pop-up view for cleaner and more productive multitasking.
- Easily resize the pop-up view by dragging the bottom corners.
- Pin the pop-up view on the screen edge for quick access.
- View information without leaving your current app. Simply swipe down on incoming notifications to enter the pop-up view. Enable via Settings > System > Pop-up view.
Other improvements
- AI-powered selection and prioritization of your frequently used apps, keeping them at your fingertips for a more efficient experience
- Added support for auto-archive function to automatically free up storage space without removing apps or data from your device.
- Partial screen sharing for more efficient and secure screen recording. Record just an app window rather than the entire screen.
- Updated setup wizard to version 3.0 for the smoothest introduction to Nothing OS.
- Enabled predictive back animations for apps that have opted in.
- New fingerprint animation with signature dot matrix styling.
- New charging animation with signature dot matrix styling.
Download Nothing OS 3 Android 15 for Nothing Phone 2A/Plus
The below firmware files are only needed if you want to opt for the Fastboot flashing method. If you instead prefer to use the official OTA method, then there’s no need to download these files. Instead, directly head over to the installation steps.
Nothing Phone 2A
Stable Android 15
Nothing Phone 2A Plus
Open Beta 1
Install Nothing OS 3 Android 15 on Nothing Phone 2A/Plus via Official OTA
Make sure to backup all the data on your device before installing any of these official builds. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps.
Via Official OTA APK
- First off, update your device to NothingOS version 2.6.
- The build number for Nothing Phone 2A should be Pacman-U2.6-240828_1906.
- For Nothing Phone 2A Plus, it should be PacmanPro-U2.6-240924-2223 or PacmanPro-U2.6-241125-2243
- Now download and install the OfflineOTAUpdate APK: Phone 2A | Phone 2A Plus
- Then go to Settings > System > Update to Beta version.
- Tap Check for New Version and follow the instructions to install the update file.
- Once installed, your device will reboot to the Android 15 build.
Via Fastboot Commands
This method will come in handy if you are coming from a custom ROM and wish to go back to stock or if you want to fix softbrick and bootloop issues on your device. Obviously, you can also use this method for the normal Android 14 to 15 upgrade as well, but unlocking the bootloader just for this task which can easily be done via the APK [without unlocking the bootloader] wouldn’t make much sense. Anyway, the choice is all yours.
STEP 1: Install Android SDK
First and foremost, you will have to install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This is the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google and is the only recommended one. So download it and then extract it to any convenient location on your PC. Doing so will give you the platform-tools folder, which will be used throughout this guide.
STEP 2: Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking
Next up, you will also have to enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on your device. The former will make your device recognizable by the PC in ADB mode. This will then allow you to boot your device to Fastboot Mode. On the other hand, OEM Unlocking is required to carry out the bootloader unlocking process.
So head over to Settings > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times > Go back to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking.
STEP 3: Unlock Bootloader on Nothing Phone 2A/Plus
Next up, you will also have to unlock the device’s bootloader. Do keep in mind that doing so will wipe off all the data from your device and could nullify its warranty as well. So if that’s all well and good, then please refer to our detailed guide on How to Unlock Bootloader on Nothing Phone 2.
STEP 4: Download Stock Firmware for Nothing Phone 2
- You can now grab hold of the firmware for your device from the above Downloads section.
- You need to download the “-image-boot.7z”, “-image-firmware.7z, and “-image-logical.7z-001-004” (all 4 parts).
STEP 5: Boot to Fastboot Mode
- Now connect your device to the PC via a USB cable. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled.
- Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.
- Type in the following command in the CMD window to boot your device to Fastboot Mode
adb reboot bootloader
- To verify the Fastboot connection, type in the below command and you should get back the device ID.
fastboot devices
- If you don’t get any serial ID, then install Fastboot Drivers on your PC.
STEP 6: Flash Firmware on Nothing Phone 2A/Plus
- First off, download the firmware for your Nothing Phone 2A/Plus. It is recommended that you download the full firmware instead of the incremental one.
- Then extract the firmware. If it is in the 7Z format, then select all > right-click> 7 ZIP > Extract to \.
- On the other hand, if you are dealing with the payload.bin file, then you have to extract it via the Fastboot Enhance Tool.
- Now download the Pacman_Fastboot_Flasher script [Get Code > Download ZIP] and extract it onto your PC.
- Then get hold of the batch file inside the Windows folder and transfer the script to the firmware folder.
- Now launch the script. It will ask for format data, hit Y to answer Yes.
- It will ask if you wish to flash across both slots, reply Y because we want to make sure that both slots have the latest firmware.
- Then it will ask you to disable Android Verified Boot, type in Y.
- Next up, when the tool asks to flash the logical partition images such as system.img, reply Yes by typing Y.
- The flashing can take a few minutes. Once done, hit Enter to close the CMD window and boot your device to the OS.
That’s it. These were the steps to download and install the latest Nothing OS 3 based on Android 15 on your Nothing Phone 2A/Plus. We will be constantly updating this guide as and when a new build goes live. So do keep a tab on this section at regular intervals. Moreover, if you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution as soon as possible.
