Nothing, a brand long celebrated for its clean Android experience, is taking a new direction that may not sit well with its community. The company has confirmed that some of its upcoming mid-range smartphones will include pre-installed third-party apps, marking a shift from its minimalist software philosophy.

In a community post announcing the Nothing OS 4.0 beta rollout for the Phone 3 and Phone 3a series, Nothing's co-founder Akis Evangelidis stated: “Moving forward, on select non-flagship devices, we’ll start including a carefully considered selection of third-party partner apps and services that don’t disrupt the Nothing OS experience you love.”

This announcement has sparked discontent among users who have come to expect a near-stock Android interface free of bloatware. The change coincides with the Android 16 beta update, which will bring these partner apps to eligible devices.

“Nothing added Lock Screen Glimpse, which is the weird redmi like bloatware that shows random stuff like news & blogs on your lockscreen. It was found when I updated my Phone (3a) to NOS 4.0, although it was disabled by default, the onboarding for OS 4.0, urged to enable it. Nothing pls go back to the roots, we don’t want none of this,” a user wrote.

What is Bloatware?

Bloatware refers to unwanted or unnecessary software pre-installed by manufacturers or vendors. Unlike essential firmware, bloatware rarely benefits the user. It typically takes up storage space, drains battery life, and can slow down performance.

Manufacturers often include such apps to promote their ecosystem or partner services, hoping users will integrate them into their routines. Common examples include preloaded weather apps or productivity tools that, while seemingly useful, seldom provide genuine value to users.

For many Nothing fans, this move feels like a betrayal of the company’s founding promise—a clean, clutter-free Android experience that now appears to be slipping away.