The Nothing Phone (1) closes out its four-year software journey with one final update. | Image by Nothing
The Nothing Phone (1) just picked up its final-ever software update, and there's nothing dramatic about it (just the July 2026 security patch and a few bug fixes). Four years after launch, Nothing delivered exactly what it promised back in 2022, and the current Nothing Phone (3) inherits a much longer version of that same promise.
What actually shipped in this final update
Nothing confirmed the news itself, in a post on its own community forums. The Nothing Phone (1) launched in July 2022 running Android 12, and Nothing committed to three years of major Android updates and four years of security patches at launch.
Phone (1) is where Nothing OS began. It introduced our first ideas around a cleaner, more intentional smartphone experience, from the Glyph Interface and dot matrix design language to a more focused take on Android.
Nothing, community forum post, July 2, 2026
That commitment wrapped up with Android 15 as the phone's final OS jump, and now the July 2026 patch, which also brings general bug fixes and some stability improvements, closes out the security side too.
When a company's promised software support window runs out, what's your next move?
How the Phone (1)'s support window stacks up now
If you're still holding onto a Phone (1), nothing changes today. It works exactly like it did yesterday, though from here on you're on your own, no more Android versions and no more security patches.
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That original promise is worth some perspective too. In 2022, three years of OS updates and four years of security patches was in line with a Google Pixel 6a or a Samsung Galaxy A-series phone, so Nothing wasn't cutting corners against its rivals.
What's changed is the bar itself, even inside Nothing's own lineup. The Phone (3) now promises five years of Android updates and seven years of security patches, nearly double what the Phone (1) got. Pixel and Galaxy owners from that same 2022 window are likely facing a similar cutoff soon.
Frame composite from Nothing's own 'Rest in updates' send-off video for the Phone (1). | Image by Nothing
What this means if you're still using yours
This affects day-one buyers still running a Phone (1) as their main device, and going by the replies on Nothing's own post, there are plenty of them. The phone won't stop working once this update installs, but it's now permanently on the July 2026 security baseline, so any new vulnerability from here on goes unpatched.
That's a fair moment to weigh whether it's time to move on, especially with Nothing's own newer phones now offering years more runway.
Nothing earned some credit here
I'll say it plainly. This is one of the more mundane update stories I'll write this year, and that's kind of the point. Nothing promised three years of OS updates and four years of security patches in 2022, and four years later, it delivered exactly that, no early cutoff, no quiet walk-back.
That's a low bar next to the seven-year promises the industry has moved to, but it's a bar Nothing actually cleared, and that isn't something I can say about every phone maker. I'd love to see that same discipline carried through on the Phone (3)'s much longer commitment, and if this update is any indication, I don't see why it wouldn't.
If you're curious about the Phone (1)'s afterlife, check out:
Follow me, @jojothetechie, on X and Threads, for more hot takes and behind-the-scenes coverage.
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Johanna Romero is a Senior News Writer at PhoneArena, covering mobile technology news across Android, iOS, wearables, and the Google ecosystem she knows best. Drawing on 15 years in IT and tech support from 2007 to 2022, she brings a user-friendly eye for the practical features and lesser-known tricks readers care about. Google named her an official #TeamPixel member in 2022, and she also reviews the latest devices on her YouTube channel, JoJo the Techie.
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