Nothing may have paused the Android 16-based Nothing OS 4 rollout

Nothing Phone 3 review on Android Central
(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Nothing appears to have paused the rollout for the Nothing OS 4 update, which is based on Android 16.
  • A Reddit post shared what is claimed to be an email from Nothing support confirming the Nothing OS 4 update has been paused.
  • Nothing is apparently working on a patched version of the update that will roll out once it passes internal testing.

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Nothing took its time readying its Android 16-based update for release, with Nothing OS 4 only hitting the stable channel on Nov. 21. The update initially debuted for the Nothing Phone 3, and later made its way to older Nothing Phone models by Nov. 28. However, Nothing Phone users have reported bugs with Nothing OS 4, and the launch has been rocky. In fact, it looks like Nothing has paused the Nothing OS 4 rollout entirely as it works to fix some of the update's issues.

The first sign that Nothing OS 4's rollout may have been halted came on Dec. 1, when a report from Techiboy noted that the update appeared to disappear from user devices. Now, a post from u/nikhkin on Reddit claims that the Nothing OS 4 release was indeed paused. The post cites a screenshotted email from Nothing's support team responding to the customer's inquiry into why their Nothing Phone 3 hadn't received the Android 16 update yet.

"We have received feedback from the relevant team and we ... regret to inform you we have temporarily halted and removed the current 4.0 rollout and are working on an urgent fix," the screenshotted email, claimed to be from a Nothing support representative, explained. "Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work to deliver a stable update as soon as possible."

Nothing OS 4.0 rollout has been paused from r/NothingTech

The support email contains a few grammatical errors, but appears to be authentic and from Nothing support. Android Central reached out to Nothing to confirm the Nothing OS 4 rollout has been paused, but the company did not respond in time for publication. We will update this article when we hear back.

The email does not mention the specific bug or issue affecting the stable Nothing OS 4 build, but says the company is working on "an urgent fix." Once the patched version passes Nothing's internal testing, it will roll out to users, according to the email. Users who already have Nothing OS 4 are set to receive a patched version of the update, and the Android 16 rollout will open for users who didn't get a chance to update.

It's unclear when the patched Nothing OS 4 build will resume rolling out, but we've asked Nothing for clarification.

Brady Snyder
Contributor

Brady is a tech journalist for Android Central, with a focus on news, phones, tablets, audio, wearables, and software. He has spent the last three years reporting and commenting on all things related to consumer technology for various publications. Brady graduated from St. John's University with a bachelor's degree in journalism. His work has been published in XDA, Android Police, Tech Advisor, iMore, Screen Rant, and Android Headlines. When he isn't experimenting with the latest tech, you can find Brady running or watching Big East basketball.

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