The technology company Nothing has launched a tool that allows users to create simple smartphone applications using written instructions. As The Verge reports, these apps are available in a new store called Playground.
This initiative is part of a broader strategy named Essential, which encompasses all of Nothing’s AI-related products. The new tool, called Essential Apps, enables users to build their own software by describing its desired function. Nothing suggests creating apps like a mood tracker or a tool to digitize receipts.
According to founder and CEO Carl Pei, the platform is currently in its early stages. Users can only design widgets, which are small, interactive elements for the home screen. The creation process takes place on a web platform, and the resulting apps can be installed on a user’s own device or shared in the Playground store for others to download. The feature is available exclusively for newer Nothing phones.
Pei told The Verge that the company plans to expand the system’s capabilities significantly. He envisions that app creation will eventually happen directly on the phone, possibly through voice commands, and result in more complex, full-screen applications.
While Nothing promotes the project as a step towards an “AI-native operating system,” Pei clarified that it is an interface built on Google’s Android. The company has no plans to replace Android and will continue to build upon its existing ecosystem.