Nothing has confirmed that it is removing its Lock Glimpse feature – widely criticised as the king of pesky lockscreen ads – from most of its smartphones.
The company announced the change following, rather unsurprisingly, strong user feedback.
The removal applies to the Nothing Phone (a) series, which will no longer display Lock Glimpse after the latest software update rolling out to users now – but it’ll remain on a few of Nothing’s more affordable devices.
Exceptions remain
The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and CMF devices are exceptions. These models will still ship with Lock Glimpse installed, but the feature will be disabled by default. Nothing has reaffirmed that users will eventually gain the option to uninstall the function entirely, reducing concerns about unwanted software lingering on devices.
This approach avoids potential issues that may arise when features are forcibly removed (cough jailbroken phones cough).
Future possibilities
While Lock Glimpse is being withdrawn, Nothing has left the door open for its return.
The company explained that the feature may come back once it has been “meaningfully improved to feel less intrusive and more considered.” However, no timeline has been provided, and the criteria for improvement remain unclear.
Needless to say, it seems the company is bent on making this work, much like the rotating screen saver on our old-fashioned Windows desktops, with an added twist.
The same software update also introduces the ability to disable and remove the Meta App Installer and App Manager on the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite. This aligns with Nothing’s broader effort to give users more control over pre-installed apps and services.
Consumer impact
For users of the Nothing Phone (a) series, the removal of Lock Glimpse means a cleaner lockscreen experience without ads, while owners of the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and CMF devices will still see the feature present, but inactive unless manually enabled.
Nothing’s decision reflects a response to consumer feedback, while leaving the possibility of revisiting the feature in the future open.
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