Nothing’s DIY app service has huge potential – but will enough people be on board?

Nothing has unveiled an innovative and highly customizable smartphone interface named Essential, which purports to be “the first step toward a new era of AI-native operating systems.”

This Essential interface aims to redefine the current paradigms for smartphone operating systems—especially its own Nothing OS, based on Android—by moving away from the typical clutter of app icons designed to capture user attention.

At the core of this initiative is the Playground platform, which empowers users to design personalized applications or, more accurately, unique combinations of app functionalities using simple natural language commands.

Essential

For instance, a user might instruct the platform to “scan receipts from my camera roll and generate a finance-ready PDF every Friday” or “set up a mood tracker that connects with my music playlist.”

Nothing describes this initiative as “hyper-personalized experiences that enhance daily routines,” and it certainly appears to offer significant potential.

Upon entering your command, the system will create a new Essential App and place it on your Home Screen, thus yielding your customized results.

Playground is expected to foster a community hub where such automation tactics can be shared. Users can view initial submissions by visiting this link.

If Not This, Then What?

Despite the bold assertions about the potential of this new approach, it inevitably brings to mind previous innovations. Specifically, I am reminded of IFTTT, which emerged in 2010 during the nascent stages of the smartphone age and the rise of the “internet of things” (IoT).

This service was conceived as a means to connect various apps, services, and devices through a simplified shared language.

The acronym IFTTT outlines the premise: If This, Then That. In essence, if a specified condition is fulfilled, then a related action is triggered.

IFTTT

Despite the ongoing existence of IFTTT and its popularity among a niche audience, user adoption remains limited for many powerful automation tools, including Apple’s Shortcuts feature.

Even as a technology journalist, I personally struggle to engage with these features.

Apple

Can’t Even Be Bothered

Why do most users—including myself—eschew these sophisticated automation options? The answer likely lies in our natural tendency toward inertia.

While the allure of customization is valid, what most users truly want is for mobile applications and platforms to perform tasks seamlessly without requiring extensive thought processes. The idea of juggling intricate command sequences may seem appealing, but most would prefer a more effortless experience.

Though the intuitiveness of Nothing’s proposed Essential/Playground interface remains to be seen, the convenience of merely voicing a command and receiving a comprehensive yet fluid response is undoubtedly attractive.

As emerging technologies like Google Gemini and ChatGPT reshape our engagement with digital tools, it’s plausible that Nothing’s innovations might indeed signify a shift in the short term.

It’s a captivating prospect, and I hope that Nothing’s approach can successfully address our intrinsic tendencies toward convenience as they revolutionize the mobile operating system landscape.