Vibe coding has been a thing ever since ChatGPT came out and revolutionized coding. Using AI to write software for you has been a huge trend. With Nothing OS 4.0, Nothing has also jumped on the bandwagon with a new feature called “Essential Apps.” The idea behind it is simple: typically, if you want to build a widget or mini-app, you need to learn to code; Nothing wants to change that. It has built a tool where you just type what you want in plain English, and the AI builds it for you.
We checked out the public beta, and here’s what you can expect.
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What you can do with Nothing’s Essential Apps vibe coding
The best part about Nothing’s Essential Apps is that you don’t need a Nothing phone to try it out. The building tool is called the Playground, and it is a website where anyone can log in with their Google or Apple ID to start testing. Access is granted in batches, so you’ll need to join the waitlist first.
It works just like a chatbot. You type a prompt like “make a calculator” or “create a widget that tracks F1 schedules,” and the AI generates a working preview in seconds. If you don’t like how it looks, you can tell the AI to make the necessary changes, like making the text bigger or changing the color, and it applies the changes for you.
We also noticed that you don’t have to start from scratch, as the Playground is already full of apps made by other people, like visual toys (“Big Eyes”) or productivity tools. You can take someone else’s app and customize it to fit your style, then save it. If you have a compatible device, these apps install directly to your home screen with one tap, just like a regular widget.
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Limitations in Nothing’s Essential Apps
While the website is very intuitive and fun to play with, using these apps on your phone is currently subject to many restrictions.
First of all, this is an exclusive club. You can make apps on any computer, but to install them, you need a device running Nothing OS 4.0. Currently, installation of these apps is limited to the Nothing Phone (3), with support for other devices coming later.
Secondly, the apps are pretty basic. The AI currently has access to your Location, Calendar, and Contacts, but it can’t use your Camera, Microphone, or Bluetooth yet. So, you can build a meeting reminder, but you can’t build a custom camera app or a voice recorder.
Finally, there is a limit on how many AI apps you can use. To keep your phone from slowing down, the company limits you to running only six of these AI widgets at the same time on the Phone (3). On other devices (once supported), this limit will be reduced to two widgets. It’s a good start, but you won’t be replacing all your regular apps just yet.
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Edited by Abu Amjad Khan
