You start typing a message on your Nothing Phone (2), expecting the row of word suggestions to appear above the keyboard, and nothing shows up. Maybe the suggestion strip is gone entirely, maybe next-word predictions have stopped, or autocorrect simply will not kick in anymore. It is a frustrating gap, because predictive text is one of those features you only notice when it disappears, and suddenly every sentence takes twice as long to type.
The good news is that this is almost always a software setting or a temporary glitch, not a hardware fault. Predictive text on the Phone (2) is handled by Gboard, Google's keyboard, which is the default on Nothing OS (Android). Because it is a keyboard function, you fix it inside the keyboard's own settings and your phone's system settings, not in any separate Nothing app. The steps below assume the stock Gboard keyboard, so if you have installed a different keyboard the menu names will differ. The fixes run from the quickest and safest to the more involved, so work through them in order and stop as soon as your suggestions come back.
Switch the suggestion strip and word predictions back on in Gboard
By far the most common reason predictions vanish is that the relevant Gboard toggle got switched off, sometimes by accident. Since predictive text on the Nothing Phone (2) comes straight from Gboard, this is the first place to look, and it solves the problem for most people.
- 1.Open any app where you can type, such as Messages or Gmail, and tap a text field so the keyboard appears.
- 2.On the keyboard, tap More, then Settings, then Text correction.
- 3.Turn on 'Show suggestion strip' so predictive text and word suggestions appear.
- 4.Turn on 'Next-word suggestions' so the keyboard predicts what you are likely to type next.
- 5.If you also want the keyboard to fix typos automatically, turn on automatic correction in the same Text correction menu.
Once these are enabled, close and reopen your typing app to make sure the keyboard reloads with the new settings. If the suggestion strip is back, you are done. If it still will not appear, move on to the next fix.
Confirm your typing language is added and active
Predictive text only works for the languages your keyboard is actually set up to use. If the language you type in is missing, Gboard has nothing to base its suggestions on, and the strip can stay stubbornly empty.
On the Nothing Phone (2), go to Settings > System > Languages and input and confirm the language you type in is added and active. Gboard draws its predictions from your active typing languages, so adding a missing language often restores suggestions immediately. If you type in more than one language, make sure each one you actually use is on the list.
Restart the phone to clear a temporary glitch
If the settings all look correct but suggestions still refuse to load, the keyboard process may simply be stuck. A restart clears the temporary glitches that can stop predictions from appearing, and it costs you nothing but a minute.
To force restart the Nothing Phone (2), hold the Power and Volume up buttons simultaneously until the Nothing logo appears on the display. If your screen is frozen and completely unresponsive, you have two fallback options. You can force a shutdown by holding the power button for 15 seconds, or force a restart by long-pressing the power button for 15 seconds or more. After the phone powers back up, open a typing app and check whether the suggestion strip has returned.
Update Gboard, then clear its cache and storage
Predictive text is part of the keyboard app, so an out-of-date or misbehaving Gboard can break it. Start by updating the app, since these updates frequently include bug fixes and stability improvements that resolve exactly this kind of issue.
- 1.Open the Google Play Store and update Gboard if an update is available.
- 2.If suggestions still fail, clear the keyboard's cache by going to Settings > Apps > Gboard > Storage and cache > Clear cache.
- 3.If clearing the cache is not enough, tap Clear storage, sometimes labelled Clear data. This resets Gboard's preferences, so you may need to re-enable 'Show suggestion strip' and 'Next-word suggestions' afterward using the steps in the first fix.
- 4.You can also force stop Gboard from Settings > Apps > Gboard > Force stop, then reopen the keyboard so it starts fresh.
Clearing the cache is safe and keeps your settings, while clearing storage is the heavier option that wipes preferences. Try the cache first, and only clear storage if predictions are still missing.
Install the latest Nothing OS update
Sometimes the problem is not the keyboard at all but a system-level bug, and the fix has already shipped in a software update. Keeping Nothing OS current is worth doing here, both to clear typing issues and for general stability.
Go to Settings > System > System Update and, while connected to Wi-Fi, download and install any available version. A couple of conditions matter during the process. Keep the battery at no less than 40 percent, and do not press the power button during the upgrade. Nothing OS 3.0 (Android 15) is officially available for the Phone (2), so make sure you are running the latest build on offer before assuming the problem runs deeper.
Factory reset as a last resort, or reach Nothing Support
If predictive text still fails after everything above, a factory reset is the final on-device step, but treat it as a genuine last resort because it erases your phone. Back up everything important first, including chat history from apps such as WhatsApp, because the reset clears apps, contacts, SMS and other data that cannot be restored afterward.
When you are ready, go to Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data. You may need to confirm with your lock screen PIN or Google account to continue. Once the phone restarts and you sign back in, set up your keyboard again and check whether predictions now work normally.
If the issue persists even after a clean reset, it is time to get help directly. Contact Nothing through the official Support Centre at support.nothing.tech, where you can describe the symptom and the steps you have already tried so they can advise on what to do next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my Nothing Phone (2) suggestion strip suddenly disappear?
The most likely cause is that the 'Show suggestion strip' toggle in Gboard got switched off. Open a typing app, tap More, then Settings, then Text correction, and turn 'Show suggestion strip' and 'Next-word suggestions' back on. This restores predictions for most people.
Does the Nothing Phone (2) even have predictive text?
Yes. The Phone (2) runs Nothing OS (Android) with Gboard as its default keyboard, and Gboard provides word suggestions, next-word suggestions and automatic correction. Because it is a keyboard feature, you control it in Gboard's settings rather than in any separate Nothing app.
Will clearing Gboard's storage delete my typed words or contacts?
Clearing Gboard's storage resets the keyboard's own preferences, so you may need to turn the suggestion toggles back on afterward, but it does not touch your contacts or messages. Try Clear cache first, since it is lighter and keeps your settings, and only use Clear storage if the cache step does not help.
How do I force restart a Nothing Phone (2) if predictions are frozen?
Hold the Power and Volume up buttons simultaneously until the Nothing logo appears on the display. If the screen is completely unresponsive, you can instead hold the power button for 15 seconds to force a shutdown, or long-press it for 15 seconds or more to force a restart.
Do I need to update Nothing OS to fix predictive text?
Not always, but it is worth doing if the earlier fixes fail, because a system bug can affect typing. Go to Settings > System > System Update over Wi-Fi, keep the battery at no less than 40 percent, and do not press the power button during the upgrade. Nothing OS 3.0 (Android 15) is available for the Phone (2).