Nothing has officially walked back one of the most controversial decisions it made with Nothing OS 4.0 — lock screen ads. Introduced in October alongside Android 16, the feature was branded as Lock Glimpse, a name that sounded elegant but ultimately masked what many users saw as intrusive advertising on their lock screens. From the moment it rolled out, Lock Glimpse sparked backlash, not only because of the ads themselves, but also due to reports that the feature continued to drain battery even when users attempted to disable it.
Now, the company has confirmed a partial retreat. Lock Glimpse is being completely removed from the Nothing Phone (3a) and Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, effectively ending lock screen ads on these models. For users of these devices, this marks a clear win and an acknowledgment from Nothing that the experiment did not land as intended.
However, the decision comes with a notable caveat. The feature will remain on the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite, and it will also continue to exist on future CMF-branded phones. According to a Nothing representative, the reasoning comes down to positioning and pricing. The Lite model targets a more budget-conscious audience, and Nothing argues that “to deliver strong overall value at a more accessible price, certain tradeoffs apply.” In other words, ads are being treated as part of the cost-saving strategy.
Nothing insists that the situation on the Lite is “different.” Lock Glimpse will be turned off by default, and users will still be able to remove it easily. The company also claims it is working to improve how the feature behaves, presumably addressing complaints around battery usage and system impact. Still, for many users, the presence of any form of lock screen advertising — regardless of default settings — remains a red line.
The mixed approach highlights a broader tension in the smartphone market, especially in the mid-range and budget segments. As hardware margins tighten, brands are increasingly experimenting with software monetization. While this is common in some regions and price tiers, Nothing’s attempt stood out because of the company’s strong branding around clean design, transparency, and user-first software. For a brand built on minimalism, lock screen ads felt out of place.
By removing Lock Glimpse from the Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro, Nothing appears to be correcting course — at least for its more premium mid-range users. Whether keeping ads on the Lite and future CMF devices proves acceptable to buyers remains to be seen. What is clear is that user feedback played a major role in forcing this change, and it serves as a reminder that even well-branded features can fail if they compromise the everyday experience.
For now, Nothing has drawn a line: fewer ads for higher-tier models, and monetization tradeoffs for cheaper ones. How that strategy plays out will likely influence how far the company pushes similar ideas in future Nothing OS updates.
