Nothing Phone (3): Playground beta with Vibe-Coding for Essential OS
Nothing released Playground for Phone (3) beta. Users create app widgets with Vibe-Coding, a component for the upcoming Essential OS.
Nothing Phone (3) users can try out the AI Playground as a beta.
(Image: Nothing)
The AI tool Playground was announced in September 2025 in its alpha version, and is now available to owners of the Phone (3) as a beta to try out. The Vibe-Coding tool is intended to be the first cornerstone for the upcoming AI-based operating system Essential OS, which is expected to be more personal and feature a generative user interface. Last year, Nothing raised 200 million US dollars for the development of a personal, generative user interface including an AI-native platform.
On the way to Essential OS
The "Playground" and the so-called "Essential Apps" are used for creating, sharing, and downloading widget creations for the homescreen. The latter are personalized apps that users can "create in seconds using natural language," the company explains. Furthermore, users should also be able to remix apps via the platform, meaning they can adapt existing apps to their own preferences.
Nothing envisions the mobile platform of the future as highly individualized: users can simply describe in natural language what functions or tools they currently need, for example: "Scan the receipts from photos and export a finished PDF of all finances every Friday." Alternatively, the AI should be able to generate a one-page briefing before meetings based on the calendar invitation and the email thread, or create a "mood tracker" that synchronizes with a playlist. These apps should then simply be placed on the homescreen.
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Create widgets with natural language
The Playground is not an app, but a web interface that is accessed via a browser. Here, in addition to already created widgets, you can find mini-apps for the dot-matrix display of the Phone (3), "Glyph Toys," "Camera Presets," and EQ profiles.
(Image: Nothing)
The app widgets already included comprise mini-games like Tic-Tac-Toe, or a virtual fidget spinner, as well as a notes app, clocks, Formula 1 schedules, and more. These apps, developed by the community and Nothing employees, can all be installed on the Phone (3). According to the company, they chose the Phone (3) as a test device because it is the most powerful model; however, this limitation is not entirely understandable, as the tool is purely cloud-based. Nevertheless, it is stated that it will eventually land on all devices with NothingOS 4.0.
Creating your own app widgets is done via Vibe-Coding and only in English: you write as precisely as possible in a window what the app should do. The tool then starts working, and after a few minutes a widget appears, which can be either 2x2 or 4x2 in size. If the tool does not meet expectations, it can be adjusted via the text field. Users with programming knowledge can also fine-tune the generated app code.
(Image: heise medien)
(Image: heise medien)
The attempt to create a widget that should display upcoming home games of the Bundesliga club Werder Bremen curiously did not provide current data, but only past ones.
Meanwhile, Nothing is not the only company working on developing a mobile AI platform: major players like Google and Apple are also pursuing similar approaches. Devices are intended to become more proactive and serve as personal assistants for users. With Google's Gemini, apps will be controllable or other tasks will be performable in the future. Nothing is apparently in good company when it comes to individualizing smartphones via AI.
(afl)
