Nothing arrives with Essential Apps and Playground
Nothing has announced a new direction with Essential, an AI platform that aims to lay the foundations for a future where your phone completely adapts to you. The idea is that you will no longer be stuck with the same standard apps as everyone else, but will be able to decide how to use your device, without needing any programming knowledge.
What is Essential?
Essential now consists of two parts: Essential Apps and Playground. Essential Apps lets you create your own apps by just describing in plain language what you need. For example, you could say:
- "Capture receipts from the film roll and export a PDF every Friday."
- "Create a mood tracker that links to my music."
The AI immediately converts that instruction into an app that you can add to your home screen. Thus, your phone is increasingly becoming a personal tool, rather than a device that offers the same experience to everyone.
Playground: building and sharing together
All creations come together in Playground, a new community environment. Here you can not only download apps, but also modify and re-share existing ideas. The platform thus aims to be an alternative to traditional app stores, where mainly companies and large developers set the tone.
Why this step?
According to Nothing CEO Carl Pei, the current way of working with apps and operating systems is outdated. Technology is often about holding your attention, rather than helping you with your own goals. With Essential, Nothing wants to reverse that and make software truly personal.
AI lowers the barrier to building something. You no longer need to be a developer; one person with an idea can already create an app that fits a specific situation exactly. In Essential's initial testing phase, community members have already created hundreds of apps, from family planners to mental health tools.
Nothing stresses that, as an independent brand, it sees room to create a different kind of ecosystem. With millions of devices sold over five years, the company wants to show that there is room for an alternative that is all about choice and personalisation.
