Nothing Phone 2 to Stop at Android 16 as CEO Carl Pei Explains Update Decision

Nothing Phone 2 will not receive the Android 17-based Nothing OS 5.0 update, leaving the 2023 flagship outside the company's latest major software upgrade cycle. The decision has raised questions among Phone 2 users, particularly because the handset still has relatively capable hardware and has received several Android version upgrades since its launch. The discussion around the phone has also brought clarity on its promised software support, the updates it has already received, and whether some newer Nothing OS features could still make their way to the device.

Nothing CEO Responds to Phone 2 Update Request

The discussion started when a Reddit user asked Nothing to give the Nothing Phone 2 another major software update. The user argued that the handset remains capable enough to run newer software and deserves continued support. The comment received more than 90 upvotes.

Nothing CEO Carl Pei said the Phone 2 cannot move to Android 17 because its kernel is too old and the chipset vendor does not support the newer Android version. He also said Nothing had already fulfilled its original software commitment for the phone.

Pei initially got one detail wrong, claiming that the Phone 2 had received four major Android upgrades. A Reddit user pointed out that the phone launched with Android 13, followed by Android 14, Android 15 and Android 16, making it three upgrades.

A Nothing employee then acknowledged that he had given Pei the incorrect information. Pei later edited his comment to correct the figure. The Phone 2 has received all three Android upgrades covered by Nothing's original commitment.

The original poster then asked Nothing to bring newer features to the Phone 2 even without a full Android 17 update. They highlighted the AI Vivid camera mode and newer camera widget found on newer Nothing phones, and requested camera improvements with the Lucent theme update.

Another user asked whether Nothing could extend chipset support through Qualcomm. The discussion did not establish whether this is possible, and Nothing had not responded to these requests at the time of writing.

The Nothing Phone 2 launched with Android 13-based Nothing OS 2.0 and the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. It features dual 50-megapixel rear cameras and a 32-megapixel selfie camera.