Nothing addresses and explains controversy around its new “not an ad” lock screen feature

Nothing recently faced the wrath of its most loyal users when a beta test appeared to be putting ads on the lock screen of their devices. The company has now clarified it’s an opt-in feature called “Lock Glimpse,” not traditional ads, and they’re just gathering feedback for now. Furthermore, the company explained the reason why these changes are happening.

A bit of a panic rippled through the Nothing community recently. Users enrolled in the recently released Nothing OS 4.0 Beta for the Phone (3a) series noticed something that looked suspiciously like ads appearing on their lock screens. Given that a clean, ad-free experience is a huge part of Nothing’s brand, people were, understandably, not happy about it.

Thankfully, Nothing has stepped in to clear the air. In a detailed community post. They basically said this: building a phone company from scratch is incredibly hard and expensive. Their cost for parts (the “Bill of Materials”) is higher than established players, and unlike giants like Samsung, they don’t have existing software revenue streams. They’re operating on “razor-thin margins.”

To keep growing and avoid passing costs to us (especially on mid-range phones), they need to find “sustainable revenue models.” This will take two forms: first, a few “carefully considered” pre-installed apps (like Instagram) on non-flagship devices, which you can still uninstall. And second, this new feature that started the panic: “Lock Glimpse.”

• It is OFF by default. You have to actively go into settings or swipe left from the lock screen to enable it.
• It brings what the company says are “high-quality” wallpapers (from 9 categories) and can show “timely updates and useful content.”
• It’s fully customizable: you can change categories, refresh, or disable it completely.
• Nothing states clearly: “no personal data is shared.”
• In the future, you’ll be able to use your own photos with the feature.

This incident touched a major nerve because lock screen ads are almost universally disliked. It’s a strategy that feels cheap and invasive. We’ve seen other companies try it, and it never goes over well. Amazon famously did this with its “Prime Exclusive” phones, which offered a discount in exchange for plastering ads on the lock screen. While it made the phones cheaper, the user experience was awful. Samsung also faced years of backlash for pushing ads through notifications and into its native apps, a practice it has thankfully scaled back.

The only thing that makes this acceptable is that it’s “off by default.” As long as that toggle remains untouched, and they respect the user’s choice, I can’t be that mad. They are basically admitting that their cheaper, non-flagship phones will need some financial support from software, while hopefully keeping the flagship experience pure.

I probably won’t use it, as I prefer a clean lock screen. But I appreciate them telling us why it exists instead of just sneaking it in.

Relive the most iconic and unforgettable phones from the past 20 years! Iconic Phones is a stunningly illustrated book we’ve been crafting for over a year—and it’s set to launch in just a couple of months!

Iconic Phones: Revolution at Your Fingertips is the ultimate coffee table book for any phone enthusiast. Featuring the stories of more than 20 beloved devices, it takes you on a nostalgic journey through the mobile revolution that transformed our world. Don’t miss out—sign up today to lock in your early-bird discount!