Remapping Essential Key

Adam · 2025-04-12T23:22:47+00:00

So, I’ve been on the verge of purchasing the Phone 3A pro for a little while now. Everything about it looks great, and I don’t really need flagship level power for most of what I do. however, this essential space stuff is really annoying. Can Nothing stop playing games with their existing and potential customers, and add the remapping functionality already? I won’t purchase the phone until this happens, why the hell would I want a device with an accidental click button that links to a service with limited processing/subscription? Not to mention, why go through all this effort to design a highly customisable OS if you can’t remap the one quick assess button on the device? Most of this nonsense over essential space could’ve been avoided if Nothing had made remapping available from the start.

KennyRungberg

Does anyone know if I can turn off the Essential Key on the side of the phone? It’s driving me crazy. So stupid place to put it. And I really don’t use it.

Smii

Honestly, train yourself.

I’ve pressed it by accident one time. It’s really not that hard.

Besides, if you keep hitting it by accident and you want to remap it, next you’ll be complaining that you keep putting the phone on silent by mistake.

CMF1_hacker

Smii it’s really weird. On Day1, I hit it once and then never again. Maybe I have large hands?

gbosert

This button is simply a disaster and kill the experience: it is absolutely not Essential! While the recording feature may be useful for some people in certain cases, it doesn’t justify the poor placement. It’s positioned more prominently than the power button, when it really shouldn’t be. Its shape and location mean it’s constantly pressed by car mount clamps, and it often gets triggered accidentally when picking up the phone.

For what it offers in daily use, it’s just not worth the hassle. There should be a built-in option to fully deactivate or remap it by default. I understand Nothing wants to promote their Essential feature, but it feels too early to force users into a function that isn’t mature AND fully refined. Let us deactivate the button!

CMF1_hacker

gbosert I’m not sure if all of the complaints are from small handed people but the power buttons are nearly in the same place on CMF1 and NP3 and I only pressed it once by accident one time on the first day. These repeated posts of people bumping it by accident make more wonder if people have small hands (I’m 6′2″/188cm and don’t seem to have any issue at all).

Likewise, just clip outside the buttons (it’s not that hard and again I don’t have an issue).

gbosert

CMF1_hacker it is not when holding it, it when you grab it or put it in a car holder. The button is slight thicker than power button. Anyway, whoever people say, there is a reason there is not button at this specific spot for years. If you have another button on that side it is way below like Nokia was doing decade ago. They tried to hard with that without having a real feature to justify it. I will follow process to deactivate it but honestly it is ruining the experience straight form the box.

Stereobasic

CMF1_hacker I’m 165 cm, small guy and when i hold the phone on my right hand, my thumb exactly fall on the power button, and other fingers exactly on the volume button. So for pushing the essential space button I need to make real exercise with my thumb, so impossible to hold on it accidentally. It’s not that bad, at least for me. However, not offer the possibility to remap it, at least after some month, is not cool. ( Some month because using a new features is not that easy, and can takes time, letting the time can be a good idea in opposite to just reject it and never try)

CMF1_hacker

gbosert I don’t have that issue with my two cars and their different holders or the gym equipment with a stronger holder (Technogym Skillrow). I find it amusing; the number of complaints that I can’t replicate. I wonder if I’m biologically different, as both buttons together span 5 cm width or so total.

gbosert

CMF1_hacker Lucky you, and happy for you, but it’s not a competition and there’s no prize to win here. We’re here to give feedback to improve the phone experience. As you mentioned, many users are complaining about this feature, which clearly points to an issue, people simply don’t like it. That’s what should be taken into account. Also, it’s important to note that a bit of disagreement is fine if the feature brings genuine value, but that’s clearly not the case here, which is why the complaints are valid.

CMF1_hacker

gbosert it’s good to provide a counterpoint so a vocal minority doesn’t dictate policy. Both opinions are valid and most people without problems won’t post, thus, it remains important for me to.

gbosert

CMF1_hacker fair enough

CMF1_hacker

Stereobasic it’s quite easy to remap with non-NOTHING software, so it’s not really a problem. NOTHING shouldn’t dilute one of their most important innovations (ES software and dedicated ES button).

IamSanjith

Adam I am using Nothing Phone 2a right now and seriously i like the Nothing Phone 3a and looking to upgrade to it.

But,…. This Essential Space hardwired to that key is the thing stopping me out as well. Most stupid thing to do.

If that was configurable action button then it would have unlocked a whole new world of possibilities.

CMF1_hacker

IamSanjith at least it’s commonly known that NOTHING won’t let you reprogramme it. I don’t blame NOTHING as it’s quite clear and central to their identity going forward. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. Simple.

Anonymous994

I’ve owned a Phone (3) for 5 days and I’ve opened the Essential Space one time on purpose to see if it was worth using, and about 10 times by accident.

I’m not surprised their usage data is higher than anticipated, it’s in a place that is far too easy to accidentally interact with, but at least you can swipe back to exit out without saving anything.

I hope they add a way to remap it natively, but I’m sure I’ll have gotten used to it by the time they do (if they ever do).

It’s a nice idea, if not a little underwhelming. Hopefully it’ll grow into something more useful but until I can access any captures on my desktop / other devices it’s a bit redundant IMHO.

IamSanjith

Buying a phone is not a toy or a one-time use product. It’s a long-term bond with the company. They promised to be a community-driven company, but recent decisions don’t reflect that. The phone’s cost includes service and trust in those promises. I hope you understand that.

Price of a phone is not just 1000s or 2000s to ignore it out.

Smii

IamSanjith

Always worth noting that “community driven” doesn’t mean doing everything that people ask for. Companies still need to make decisions that may not make sense to a subset of their user base, or even alienate some users for the greater good. Nothing clearly believe in the Essential Space so as @CMF1_hacker says, allowing people to remap it kind of goes against the vision.

I’ve not yet found a way to embed it in my workflow - I’m trying to find uses for it (tips welcome!) but I also don’t resent that the button is there while I’m not using it.

Ant-e-so-shial

I am actually liking essential space a lot. I have been using it to make to-dos and remainder, jot down ideas, save fashion screenshots and making collections. Honestly I have no problem if essential space is just this, but we are gonna get a lot more features so I am quite happy.

And also I have never pressed it accidentally cause there’s a clear difference (visually, physically, and geometrically too) between them.

Maybe they should give an option to remap it essentially (no pun intended) or maybe an option to desensitize it for people who see no need for essential space.

W!M@

Ant-e-so-shial Exactly! A long press to activate ES will eliminate the accidental presses quite considerably. I too have started to use it and I can see it's potential. ES is a good idea it just needs tweaks for improved execution.

CMF1_hacker

I can’t believe that NOTHING would reduce one of its USPs and potential revenue streams (see the 300min AI monthly limit right now) by disabling/remapping the ES button. It’s slightly awkward to even ask about it as it shows not understanding what NOTHING is attempting to achieve, or?

What am I missing here?

I assume that all of you tried the NP3 before purchasing, or at least knew of the ES button not being re-mappable?

Anonymous994

CMF1_hacker If they allowed you to remap it, and at the same time allowed you to open it by different means (I.e. long press power or some combination with the volume) then they’d actually open up MORE revenue streams by being able to add it to legacy devices.

Apple don’t restrict their additional key to Apple Intelligence but let you use it in any number of ways.

It is what it is. I thought I might use it, but I doubt I will. No big deal. At worst it’s a mild annoyance, but I don’t see why people get bent out of shape over it. You’ll soon learn to avoid it.

As for trying a Phone (3) before you buy it? How, if you’re in the UK? Unless you live in London there’s no store you can just pop in to to hold one. Believe me I tried.

That’s why most people buy online and then send them back or sell them on. Which was fine for me; I picked mine up from someone who owned it for a day and didn’t like it.

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