Nothing unveils Essential – its new AI platform

Nothing announced Essential, its new AI platform and the foundation for a future personal operating system. Essential is a suite of AI tools that will evolve into Essential OS, a truly AI-native operating system.

That vision begins with the launch of two core pieces -- Essential Apps, personalised apps you can create instantly with natural language, and Playground, a new community-powered platform for downloading, sharing and remixing Apps, and other community creations.

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, Nothing is 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.

 That journey starts with the launch of Essential Apps for Nothing devices. Just describe what you need – ‘capture the receipts from camera roll, and export a finance-ready PDF every Friday’, ‘before my calls, show me a one-page brief based on my calendar and message threads’, ‘create a mood tracker that syncs with a music playlist’ – and AI generates an Essential App you can add to your home screen instantly. The destination is a future where your phone shapes itself based on who you are: a personal OS.

All of this is built inside Playground, a new space for building, re-mixing, sharing, and downloading community-powered apps. Playground is the new home for the creativity of millions of Nothing members, now available for everyone to contribute to and enjoy, free from the constraints of traditional app stores.

 “With Essential, we begin to chip away at the outdated and elitist system set up by the legacy market leaders.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 Pei, CEO of Nothing.

A new era of creation

 As AI collapses the time, cost, and complexity of building software, the minimum audience needed to justify creation is no longer millions, it can be one. Creation expands from professional developers chasing scale to anyone with a specific need or idea. This marks the shift from mass-market software to personal creation. The starting point for a new platform era.

In alpha, the Nothing community has already shown what’s possible: hundreds of Essential Apps built for real, specific needs. From mental health trackers to family organisers, these creations show how the most transformative AI experiences will come from individuals, not corporations.

Building on independence

In just five years, Nothing has proven that independent platforms can scale rapidly, even in markets long dominated by incumbents. Millions of devices have been shipped worldwide, generating over $1B in sales. This foundation demonstrates Nothing's ability to build and scale platforms that users actively choose over established ecosystems.

As an independent platform not incentivised to maintain the status quo, Nothing can build an open ecosystem where people create their own path. A truly personal OS needs truly personal context, and no device captures that better than your smartphone. That is why only an integrated hardware and software approach can deliver experiences built just for you.

This is the beginning of a more balanced relationship with technology. One where AI complements our strengths and supports our weaknesses, remembering what we forget, focusing when we’re distracted, and giving us back time for what matters most. Not more apps. Not more distractions. Just your phone, finally moving at the speed of your imagination.