Nothing removes Lock Glimpse from Phone 3a series

Nothing is nixing its controversial Lock Glimpse module altogether on the Phone 3a series, making it clear that the software feature will be axed entirely from the phones when Nothing OS 4.0 lands in December for the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro.

For now, the budget-focused Phone 3a Lite has Lock Glimpse intact, albeit disabled by default. Nothing says a future software upgrade will allow Lite owners to delete it altogether.

What is changing now for Phone 3a and 3a Pro

With the updated Nothing OS 4.0 firmware, Lock Glimpse is gone from the Phone 3a and 3a Pro. The company says that the update is rolling out now, marking a clear reversal after weeks of user feedback complaining about seeing promotional content on the lock screen. On the Phone 3a Lite, the feature is still there, but it’s turned off by default and comes with a promise that an uninstall button is coming.

The removal follows Nothing’s wider rollout of Android 16, which kicked off in November as part of Nothing OS 4.0. And while some users technically had an under-the-radar way to opt out of it on day one, they complained that entirely too much “slipped through” and became less than polite about how the debacle played with a phone marketed as a premium mid-ranger.

User backlash that pushed Nothing to remove Lock Glimpse

Lock Glimpse was created to bring glanceable content and deals to the lock screen. Even as an optional feature, some users said it was impacting battery life and would sometimes seem out of sync with their real preferences. Complaints across community forums and social media zeroed in on two aspects familiar to many around the Android space: ads inside essential UI surfaces, and background processes that demand power and attention.

Nothing had previously framed Lock Glimpse as a “trade-off” at a more affordable price, something we’ve heard repeatedly in Android. Xiaomi, as well as some carrier-backed models, have experimented with system-level recommendations or ads. But the trend has also faced pushback, as aficionados and mainstream consumers want software that is clean and respects user control over what runs — and what shows up on the screen you see hundreds of times a day.

What Phone 3a Lite owners can expect going forward

For the Phone 3a Lite, Nothing says Lock Glimpse is here to stay for the moment but is off by default. Crucially, the company promises that it will offer a complete uninstall option in a future software update. Until then, you can turn off the feature in settings and disable any lock screen placements while the company finalizes full removability to reclaim system space and stop its background processes altogether.

Additional changes included in the December update

That same December build adds a significant clean-up for preloaded Meta components. When you turn off any of the following, the phone will notify you that an auto-reboot has been triggered and delete related services installed under the system partition:

• Meta App Installer
• Meta App Manager
• Meta Service

For an Android OEM to provide such a clear path to remove system-level integrations is unheard of and should certainly be appreciated by privacy-centric users.

Nothing even added an app recommendation feature that can be completely shut off by disabling the App Services system app. Setting aesthetics aside, it gives an immediate option to manage suggested installs and notifications associated with recommendations for users who prefer a light setup.

A broader perspective on ad-supported phone software

Lock screen promotions have long been a point of contention. Amazon attempted to subsidize phones with lock screen ads before scrapping the practice years ago in response to customer pushback. Not all regional Android builds from different manufacturers serve ads in system apps, but several of them do, which, however, now usually also provide clear opt-outs. The takeaway has been consistent: If a feature interacts with core UI surfaces and background resources, it should be easy to disable and clean up when turned off.

Nothing’s move conveys the company is listening and willing to reset the dial on balancing revenue experiments with user trust. Providing an option to remove Lock Glimpse and bundled services, along with easily accessible toggles for recommendations, is a good model for OEMs wanting to experiment with new monetization without blowing all of their goodwill.

Bottom line on Nothing’s changes and user control focus

Nothing’s December update removes Lock Glimpse from the Phone 3a and 3a Pro, and it prepares an uninstall solution for the 3a Lite. Toss in system-level killing off of Meta services and a one-tap kill switch for app recommendations, and the message is loud and clear: user control is back at the heart of the experience. For a brand making a name for itself based on design-forward hardware and mostly bloatware-free software, it’s the right course correction at the right moment.