Tilt and motion controls
Accelerometer input with automatic calibration, so the phone's neutral position is set wherever it's held.
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Glyph Toys for Nothing Phone
Two Glyph Toys that bring the back of the Nothing Phone (3) to life.
- Type
- Android apps
- Platform
- Nothing Phone
- Status
- Live on Google Play
- Role
- Creator: concept, pixel art, development and launch
The idea
The Nothing Phone (3) has a small LED matrix on its back, and Nothing opened it up to developers through the Glyph Matrix SDK. These two Glyph Toys started as experiments in designing for an unusual, very low-resolution screen, and turned into two fully fledged apps on Google Play.
Designing for a 25×25 pixel display means every frame of animation is hand-crafted, and every interaction has to work through motion and light rather than taps and text.
Glyph Bike
The first fully interactive game for the Nothing Glyph Matrix: a retro endless runner on a 25×25 LED display. Tilt the phone to jump, hit ramps for airtime, grab turbo timers and dodge bananas as the speed ramps up. A companion app adds a simulator so it can be played on any Android phone, plus global leaderboards, achievements, unlockable characters and game modes through Google Play Games.
Glyph Mike
Mike is a curious pixel-art eyeball who lives on the Glyph Matrix. He follows the phone's movement, blinks when idle, gets startled if left alone too long and dizzy if shaken. He's also a tiny notification assistant: assign up to four apps and Mike bounces towards a corner whenever something important arrives.
Features
What we built
Hand-made pixel animation
Frame-by-frame sprites, particle crash effects and a nine-level brightness system tuned for the LED matrix.
Play Games integration
Global leaderboards, achievements and XP through Google Play Games Services.
Simulator companion app
An on-screen Glyph Matrix so people without a Nothing Phone can still play.
Notification assistant
Glyph Mike maps up to four apps to directions and reacts when notifications arrive.
Sound and haptics
Sound effects, music and a countdown, with long-press controls to cycle audio modes.
Under the hood
Technology
- Kotlin
- Android
- Nothing Glyph Matrix SDK
- Google Play Games Services
- Accelerometer and sensors
- Notification listener
What we learned
- Constraints drive creativity. A 625-pixel screen forces clarity in every animation and interaction.
- Niche platforms reward early builders. A brand-new SDK comes with a small, enthusiastic community looking for things to try.
- A companion app widens the audience. The simulator turned a Nothing-only toy into something anyone on Android could try.
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