Our first step towards an AI-native operating system

Rob ⚡️ · 2025-09-30T12:00:00+00:00

**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NanJxbbyZJ8** For decades, our devices have treated us all the same. Rows of apps designed for everyone. Inside operating systems built to monetise attention instead of amplify creativity. But technology doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-all. We believe it should be personal, adaptive, and genuinely under your control. > *“With Essential, we begin to chip away at the outdated and elitist system set up by the legacy market leaders. A new era requires new thinking. The future of software will be one of unrestricted access, collective innovation, and hyper personalisation. Moats of the past will be dismantled, opening the door to a truly user-led future."* said @"Carl"#34 - Hear more in [our latest Nothing TV episode](https://youtu.be/uZRK60JNA54 "Nothing YouTube"). Essential marks the first step in Nothing’s next chapter: turning foundational AI into hyper-personalised experiences that help in daily life, while breaking away from the rigid and walled gardens that define today’s smartphones - where devices adapt to people, not the other way around. To bring this vision to life we are introducing Essential Apps and Playground. ## **✨ Essential Apps** ![](https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-09-30/1759220894-352922-n-essapp-169-large.jpg "banner") With Essential, anyone can create their own apps in seconds using natural language. Just describe what you need. For example, capture the receipts from your camera roll and export a finance ready PDF every Friday. Or before your calls, show a one page brief based on your calendar and message threads. Or create a mood tracker that syncs with a music playlist. AI instantly generates an Essential App that you can add to your home screen. These apps are a first step towards creating a hyper personalised smartphone experience. They build towards a future where your phone shapes itself around who you are. **Note:** **Essential Apps is in alpha.** Join the waitlist for early access. We're opening up the access in waves to ensure the best experience. Essential Apps are designed to be light and efficient. To keep your Nothing phone running smoothly, there’s a temporary limit on how many Essential Apps you can use with Nothing OS 4. Phone (3) supports up to *6 widgets*, while other models support *up to 2*. We’re working to increase this number. If you encounter any issues please email playground@nothing.tech and we will improve it promptly. ## **🎨 Playground** ![](https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-09-30/1759229220-621525-n-playground-169-large.jpg "banner") Playground is a new space for building, re-mixing, sharing and downloading community built creations. Playground is the home for the creativity of millions of Nothing members. It is open for everyone to contribute to and enjoy, free from the constraints of traditional app stores. Here you can explore community made creations like Essential Apps, Glyph Toys, Camera Presets and EQ Profiles. Playground is the creative heart of Essential. If you want to create Essential Apps in Playground, you need to apply for creation permission on the website. Essential’s Playground is now open to everyone at[ playground.nothing.tech](http://playground.nothing.tech). ‎ ## **📝 Essential Space, Search and Memory** Essential Space and Essential Search are already helping you capture ideas, organise inspirations and find information instantly. Now we are introducing **Essential Memory**. It brings everything together by learning your habits and surfacing forgotten details when you need them most. Coming soon. All of this is private by design. Data stays local unless you choose otherwise, with full transparency whenever the cloud is used. Learn more about Essential at [Essential.com](http://essential.com)

Thanish Thahir

When are we getting access?

CMF1_hacker

It took me a day or two to really understand this.

Good luck and I’m looking forward to using it 🙂

RogMick

Rob ⚡️ would we get these features on Nothing Phone 2a?

Deadleafe

Rob ⚡️ will it be app or in browser

UKLio

When will this be available to everyone as a used the “Create your app” feature and got this message ’Now, join the waitlist for early access;, I’ll notify you the moment Essential Apps opens～'?

Also, how do i join the waitlist as there are no instructions on how to do this?

nagababu_IBzgTkzKH8

I’m unable to access playground to create some stuff could anyone help me I’m a serious nothing user from phone 1 launch

UthayKumar

How to join the waitlist? Where is the option?

ChndrMegan

JagritSachdev 💯

Lef_

Come on, how about to finally fix Headphone(1) firmware before coding AI slop?

QwertyN

Err_404NotFound why it is not available on phone 2 despite having the beta?

vimalchandrasekar

I am not able to install apps from nothing playground. Not able to scan and install after downloading

SrikarDraksharapu

Why does that keep showing up even tho I just added 2 widgets frome playground but , I can still add the normal widgets but that just popes up when ever I want to add more than 1 or 2 widgets from playground

Anonymous931

SrikarDraksharapu It literally says in the very first post:

Rob ⚡️ Essential Apps are designed to be light and efficient. To keep your Nothing phone running smoothly, there’s a temporary limit on how many Essential Apps you can use with Nothing OS 4. Phone (3) supports up to 6 widgets, while other models support up to 2. We’re working to increase this number.

Baldertech

This is revolutionary. I just made a yt video about this because I think it’s so awesome! Super excited to see this when it launches

Shxtic

kruso-tech i dont think so, essential would need an API to acsess that data

Jerin Jose

Rob ⚡️ The problem with the essential apps is

Currently it doesn’t follow Nothing design language, the margin seems to be unequal or very thin.

Whether the widgets or essential apps are optimized?

flo_rahil

Jerin Jose That’s bound to happen, AI doesn’t understand the company’s design language. It an averaging machine.

They can feed specific data to it, but it will never match the quality of a handcrafted widget/app experience.

There are no shortcuts to greatness in anything. That’s why AI generated stuff is referred to as ‘Slop’.

CMF1_hacker

flo_rahil I’ve been recently going through a developmental cycle to create a NOTHING X to Strava app for my CMFW3P. chatGPT5plus is pretty good. I’ve got about 20h in and have never used Android Studio before (but can program in C++, R and Python) and it’s got me quite far. The pro-variant might be able to do everything properly but it’s very close to producing non-slop with heavy-handed guidance, which is what the Playground will have.

I’m mean it’s just widgets, rather than a full Android App like I’m trying to build for the first time.

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