Nothing’s first step towards an AI-native operating system- Essential Apps and Playground officially introduced

What if you get to create personalized apps on your device using natural language? Crazy right! Well, the London-based tech company, Nothing, has brought this opportunity for its users.

The company has unveiled Essential, an AI native operating system that is said to turn foundational AI into hyper-personalized experiences that help in daily life. The platform includes two main components- Essential Apps and Playground.

Essential Apps

With Essential, anyone can now create their own apps in seconds using natural language. All you need to do is just describe what you need, and AI will instantly generate an Essential App that you can add to your home screen. This will provide users a hyper-personalized smartphone experience.

Some of the examples include creating a mood tracker that syncs with a music playlist, or before your calls, showing a one-page brief based on your calendar and message threads.

Availability

Essential Apps is in alpha. Interested users can join the waitlist for early access. To keep your running 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.

Playground

This is a new space for building, remixing, sharing, and downloading community-built creations. It is the home for the creativity of millions of Nothing members. It is open for everyone to contribute and enjoy, free from the constraints of traditional app stores.

You can explore community-made creations like Essential apps, Glyph Toys, Camera Presets and EQ profiles. If you want to create Essential apps in Playground, you need to apply for creation permission on the website.

Essential Playground is now open to everyone at the playground.nothing.tech.

Check out what Carl Pei has to say on this new innovation.

For too long software’s been one-size-fits-all. With @essential we’re changing that. We believe in a future where everyone gets their own personal OS. That starts today. Anyone can create their own apps through natural language. Endless personalisation. Endless possibilities. pic.twitter.com/QQ8e0ERTez

— Carl Pei (@getpeid) September 30, 2025