GoKawiilStephen Radochia / Android Authority
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TL;DR Nothing Phone 2 is done with major Android updates, but Pei says its Android 17 cutoff isn’t a broken promise.
Pei admits Nothing needs to rethink some software choices and may have moved too quickly away from its original design identity.
As Nothing expands in the US and explores new products, Pei says the focus should be on doing less, but better.
Nothing CEO Carl Pei has never been particularly shy about talking directly to the company’s community, and a recent Reddit AMA produced some unusually candid answers. From the Phone 2’s Nothing OS 5.0 situation to bloatware, the Glyph, AI, and Nothing’s broader product strategy, Pei gave fans plenty to discuss. The most interesting part, though, may be how willing he was to acknowledge that some of Nothing’s recent decisions haven’t quite landed as intended.
Why isn’t Nothing Phone 2 getting Android 17?
The Nothing Phone 2 will end its major Android update run with Android 16, and Pei says the reason comes down to its aging software stack and chipset support.
“The kernel is unfortunately too old,” Pei explained, adding that Android 17 won’t be supported by the chipset vendor. He also pointed out that Nothing originally promised three major Android updates for the phone, with security patches running through 2027.
Pei initially said the Phone 2 had received four major updates — Android 13, Android 14, Android 15, and Android 16 — before correcting himself and clarifying that the company had fulfilled its original commitment rather than exceeded it.
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