Nothing Phone (3a) Lite: Bloatware now removable following sharp criticism, but advertising remains

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is essentially just a CMF Phone 2 Pro with a fresh design, but without a telephoto camera. Even at launch, it was clear that the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite heralded a new era, adding advertising and bloatware to Nothing phones. Specifically, three changes have been the focus of criticism:

1. Sponsored app recommendations during smartphone setup
2. "Lock Glimpse", meaning advertising on the lock screen
3. Bloatware that cannot be deleted

While the sponsored apps can be ignored and the ads on the lock screen disabled during setup, the bloatware situation is a little more complicated. The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite comes with Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, all of which are social media apps that can be deleted by the user. However, the Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager and Meta Services apps can only be disabled so far and cannot be completely removed from the smartphone.

Following an outcry from customers, Nothing announced in its official community that the three Meta services can be permanently deleted from the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite after an update. This update is expected to be released at the end of November. Although the community is pleased with this change in the forum, it continues to criticize Nothing CEO Carl Pei for having criticized the competition for years about advertising and bloatware, only to resort to these tactics himself in order to generate additional revenue.