Back in 2021 when Nothing showed up, it looked like the kind of brand that would shake things up in the whole industry. Transparent design, clean Android, the Glyph LED lighting system — the pitch was simple and refreshing. But as the company grew, a few things didn’t quite match up with what it promised earlier. Over time, the brand that once spoke against industry clutter found itself caught up in the same kind of controversies it once mocked. Here’s how the story of Nothing Phone controversies and brand backtracks has unfolded so far.
The “clean experience” that wasn’t so clean
Nothing’s software was supposed to be light, smooth, and free of unnecessary apps. So when users were informed that the lower and mid-range phones will now come with apps like Facebook and Instagram preinstalled, starting with Phone 3a Lite, they didn’t take it kindly.
The company also loaded a Lock Glimpse feature on the Phone 3a series with Nothing OS 4.0 which was off by default, but is still considered bloatware by the users. Fans had come to expect a bloat-free setup, not the usual preloaded clutter. The company clarified its move, and said in a blog post, “One of the biggest challenges for any new entrant is managing the BOM (Bill of Materials) cost, which is higher than that of established players. On top of this, most brands also have software-based revenue streams, the most straightforward being pre-installed partner apps and services. This is a common approach across the industry, including for established brands like Samsung.”
The pre-installed apps will be able to offset the increased BOM costs, according to the company. However, the company may not have thought about it when it posted in 2022 how Nothing OS “takes out the bloatware.”
After the backlash, the company promised a fix for the Meta services at least, and said people would soon be able to remove those apps entirely instead of only being able to disable them. It was a small correction, but it felt like a big contradiction for a brand that built its image around minimalism.
The 2MP camera contradiction
In 2023, co-founder Akis Evangelidis made headlines for criticizing smartphone makers who added 2MP lenses just to boost spec sheets. They were called the “biggest scam of 21st century.”
The message was clear: Nothing would never do that. Fast forward to 2025 — the Nothing Phone 3a Lite and CMF devices arrived with the same 2MP sensors. Fans immediately pulled up that old tweet, and the irony was impossible to ignore. What was once called a “gimmick” had quietly become part of Nothing’s own product line.
A convenient clarification was once again issued, stating, “Just to add context, this was regarding depth sensors to optimize portrait mode, as the second sensor can serve that purpose. For the Phone (3a) Lite, the options were to either remove the third camera or convert it into a macro lens. Since the community has been doing some great macro photography, we went with the latter.” The original post, however, never specified which 2MP camera sensor was being referred to. Moreover, the CMF Phone 1 which came in 2024 also packed a “2MP depth sensor,” so there’s that.
The earlier-than-promised Nothing Phone 3 price drop
When the Nothing Phone 3 launched, Carl Pei confidently said there wouldn’t be a price cut anytime soon because pre-orders were “strong.” But just two months later, the price came down.
That sudden drop left many wondering what had changed. Was the initial demand not as solid as claimed, or did the company just misread the market? Either way, the move didn’t sit well with loyal followers who expected more consistency in the brand’s messaging.
The stock photo blunder
One of the more awkward moments came when Nothing was accused of using stock photos in its Nothing Phone 3 demo units, implying they were taken with its own phone cameras. Several photographers traced those shots back to existing image libraries, forcing the brand to respond.
The company said that smartphone makers usually send out demo units around four months before launch, and those early prototypes often come with placeholder materials — things like sample images or temporary content — just so everything can be tested properly. Once the phone moves into mass production, that filler content is replaced with the real stuff, including final product renders and genuine camera samples.
The company admitted that it was a mistake on their end where some demo units didn’t get updated with the original shots and confirmed that it was actively working to resolve the issue and also prevent it in future. It was an avoidable slip-up, and for a company that often speaks about “authenticity,” it didn’t help its credibility.
The Nothing Chats privacy mess
In 2023, Nothing Chats tried to do what no one else had — give Android users a taste of iMessage blue bubbles. The idea was clever, and it made waves instantly. But within days, developers uncovered serious privacy issues, including unencrypted data transfers. The App was quickly pulled from the Play Store. What began as a headline-grabbing innovation ended up being one of Nothing’s most criticized moments.
Claims to be a young brand finding its footing
Carl Pei has often acknowledged on the Nothing YouTube channel that the Nothing brand is still young and faces serious hurdles — like sourcing components at competitive prices, building supply chains, and scaling up fast. Then came the interesting turn: despite admitting to these growing-pains, Nothing secured an associate-sponsorship deal with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the 2025 T20 season earlier this year. For a brand that publicly says it’s still fighting for margins and scale, landing a sponsorship of this size is definitely something to think about.
Despite all this, Nothing remains one of the few new smartphone brands that people actually talk about. It’s got identity, design flair, and a community that genuinely cares — even if that care often turns into criticism.
The company’s biggest challenge now is not attention but consistency. For all its creativity, Nothing needs to prove that it can balance ambition with reliability. Because at this point, the Nothing Phone controversies and brand backtracks aren’t just about mistakes — they’re about whether the company can still live up to the promise it started with.