12 Best Nothing Phone (1) Tips and tricks you should know

The Nothing Phone (1) generated a lot of hype for several reasons. It is one of the few recent phones that has a unique design with glyph lights that stand out. Another standout feature of the Nothing Phone (1) is its clean software. Despite being lean and clean, Nothing OS has a good set of useful features.

Since Android is all about customization and getting the best out of your device, we decided to write down some of the best Nothing Phone (1) tips and tricks for all you consumers who picked up the phone. It is nothing something for everyone!

1. Enable music visualization

There are several features of the Glyph lights on the Nothing Phone (1) that are available out of the box. However, there is one easter egg that enables a hidden feature – Music Visualization. When activated, the Glyph lights will sync with the music you’re playing on your phone for a cool effect. How to activate the secret function.

Step 1: Open the Phone app on Nothing Phone (1).

Step 2: Enter a random number in the dialer and select “Create new contact” at the top.

Step 3: This is the important step. When prompted to enter the contact’s first name, enter it Abra. Leave the rest of the fields blank and press Save.

Step 4: Now open the Settings app and select the Glyph Interface option.

Step 5: Tap Ringtones and select “Add a contact” under Custom contacts.

Step 6: When the phone asks to select a contact, select Abra.

Step 7: Tap Nothing ringtones.

Step 8: Select a ringtone and tap Save to set the ringtone.

It will unlock the Music Visualization option on Nothing Phone (1). Then you need to activate it.

Step 9: Return to the Glyph Interface settings and tap Music Visualization at the bottom.

Step 10: Turn on Music Visualization to activate the feature.

2. Use Glyph Lights in the camera app

Here is a practical use case of the Glyph lights on the Nothing Phone (1). If you click pictures in the dark, you can use the Glyph lights to brighten the scene. The Glyph lights are softer and more diffuse compared to the camera flash, making it a better option. It is also useful when clicking macro shots as they require more light.

Here’s how to use the Glyph lights while using the camera.

Step 1: Open the Camera app on Nothing Phone (1).

Step 2: Switch to the mode you want to use, then tap the flash icon at the top left.

Step 3: Press it repeatedly until you get to Glyph light mode.

In this mode, all the Glyph LEDs on the back will light up to illuminate the stage. There are several other Nothing Phone (1) camera tips and tricks you can check out to improve your shooting experience!

3. Always on screen

If you haven’t used always-on display before, it’s a feature that keeps your phone’s screen — no points for guessing — always on. You can often check the time, date, pending notifications, etc. when using always on display, which makes it convenient. Here’s how to activate it on Nothing Phone (1).

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone and navigate to Display.

Step 2: Tap on the Lock screen option and turn on “Always show basic information about the lock screen.”

Step 3: Now, tap on “Always show basic information about the lock screen” and set the schedule to None if you don’t want the always-on screen to turn off at any time during the day.

4. Show fingerprint scanner icon

The Nothing Phone (1) has an on-screen fingerprint scanner to unlock the device. When the screen is off, it can be difficult to find the fingerprint scanner. So nothing has given us the option to show the fingerprint icon every time we move the phone slightly. This makes it easy to find the scanner and unlock the phone. Here’s how to activate it.

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone and navigate to Screen lock and security.

Step 2: Tap Fingerprint and enter your PIN to access the menu.

Step 3: Turn on “Show fingerprint icon”.

5. Connect and control your Tesla

Nothing has worked with Tesla to integrate a feature into the Nothing Phone (1) that allows you to control your car from your phone. If you have a Tesla, here’s how to set this up.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and go to Experimental Features.

Step 2: Select the Connect to Tesla option.

Step 3: Tap Reconnect and sign in with your Tesla account. That’s it!

6. Customize the home screen and user interface

Android 12 introduced the Material You design language with colors across the user interface that match the background in use. Nothing Phone (1) allows you to change the user interface colors along with the ability to use custom icon packs in the launcher. Let’s see how you can do it!

Step 1: Long press an empty space on the home screen and select Personalization.

Step 2: Tap Background and style.

Step 3: You can see a color palette at the bottom. Choose the one you like best and it will be placed across the UI.

Step 4: If you don’t like the default options, tap Basic Colors to choose from 4 simple colors to theme your interface.

Step 5: Scroll down on the same page and you will find the App Grid option. Tap it and you can choose the number of apps you want to see on the home screen.

When you’re done, you’ll return to the previous screen.

Step 6: If you want to change how your icons look, choose the Icon Pack option.

Step 7: Now you can select an icon pack that you have already installed or press the Add button to see the list of icon packs in the Play Store.

Here’s how you can use Nothing Phone 1’s features to customize your home screen to your liking.

7. Use game mode while playing

Smartphone gaming is more popular than ever. If you spend long hours on COD mobile or enjoy the visuals of Genshin Impact on Nothing Phone (1), make sure you do so with game mode enabled. This will help keep distractions at bay while playing. Follow the steps to activate it.

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone and go to System.

Step 2: Select the Game Mode option and tap on Apps.

Step 3: Select the Add Apps option and select all the games for which you want to enable game mode by tapping on the ‘+’ icon.

Step 6: When you’re done, go back and enable Mistouch Prevention to avoid enabling swipe gestures when playing.

8. Enable screen attention

Screen attention is a Nothing Phone (1) feature that keeps the screen on until you look at it. This is useful if you don’t want your phone’s screen to turn off while reading an article like this. Here’s how to activate it.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and go to Display.

Step 2: Tap Screen Timeout and turn on Screen Attention.

Now the screen won’t turn off even after the set time when you look at the screen.

9. Charge other phones wirelessly with battery sharing

The Nothing Phone (1) is one of the very few devices that comes with wireless charging at its price point. But along with wireless charging, the device also supports reverse wireless charging or as nobody likes to call it – battery sharing. Once activated, simply place the phone you want to charge on the back of the Nothing Phone (1) and it’ll start getting juicy!

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone and navigate to Battery.

Step 2: Tap on Battery Sharing and turn on “Allow Battery Sharing.”

Step 3: Use the slider to select the percentage at which you want the battery percentage to stop working. If the phone’s battery level drops below this percentage, battery sharing stops.

If you place a Qi-enabled device on the back of the Nothing Phone (1), it will now start charging and this will be indicated by the glowing LEDs around the wireless charging coil. Pretty impressive, right?

10. Lock mode

Have you ever wondered how someone can unlock your phone with your fingerprint while you sleep? Well, lock mode prevents exactly that. Once activated, you must unlock the phone with your PIN, and only then can you use your fingerprint to unlock the phone next time. How to access lock mode.

Step 1: Press the power button + volume up button simultaneously on the Nothing Phone (1). This will bring up the stream menu.

Step 2: Tap Lockdown.

Your phone will be locked immediately. You’ll need to enter your PIN to unlock it, as you can’t use your fingerprint or other biometrics.

11. Quickly open the camera with one movement

No matter what you’re doing on your phone, you can open the camera in a flash using a gesture on Nothing Phone (1). You can enable it by following the steps.

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone and go to System.

Step 2: Select the Gestures option and tap on “Quick Open Camera”.

Step 4: Turn on “Quick open camera.”

Now, even if the phone is in locked state, just double tap the power button on the phone and the camera app will open.

12. Record calls automatically from specific numbers

Call recording is a feature that is used quite regularly by many users. While you can record calls via the Phone app on the Nothing Phone (1), you also get the option to automatically record calls from specific numbers. Here’s how to set it up.

Step 1: Open the Phone app on your device and tap the three-dot menu at the top right.

Step 2: Select the Settings option.

Step 3: Under General, select the Call Recording option.

Step 4: Here you will find the Always recording section. If you want to record calls from all unknown numbers, turn on “No numbers in your contacts.”

Step 5: To automatically record calls from specific contacts, select Selected numbers.

Step 6: Now tap on Select a contact and select the number from the contact list for which you want to record calls automatically.

Step 7: Turn on “Always record selected numbers.”

That’s pretty much it. You have configured automatic call recording for the selected contact.

Improve the experience of using nothing

Nothing Phone’s (1) software isn’t as feature-rich as some other custom UIs, but it has its own set of clever little tricks that improve the overall user experience. What did you think of Nothing Phone (1) tips and tricks and which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!