Nothing unveils Playground, an AI tool to build mini apps from text prompts. AI-powered app creation is moving fast, and smartphone brand Nothing has just stepped into the race. The company announced Playground, a new Nothing AI tool that lets users build mini apps using simple text prompts.
These apps, currently available as widgets on Nothing’s Essential Apps platform, include practical tools like flight trackers, meeting briefs, or even fun add-ons like virtual pets. Users can start from scratch or tweak existing apps with prompts, while advanced developers have the option to fine-tune the underlying code.
At this stage, full-screen apps aren’t supported, as the company says the technology needs more maturity before it expands beyond widgets.
AI Meets Smartphones: Nothing’s Big Bet
The launch comes shortly after Nothing secured a $200 million funding round led by Tiger Global. CEO Carl Pei has repeatedly emphasized that the future of operating systems lies in AI-driven personalization, something most smartphone makers have been slow to embrace.
“Software iteration has been painfully slow,” Pei told TechCrunch. “Our devices carry so much context about us, yet it’s not being used. With AI breakthroughs, operating systems will evolve to become far more personal.”
Nothing has already tested the waters with Essential Space, an AI-powered app for sharing screenshots, recording voice notes, and generating transcriptions. While these features aren’t entirely new—most smartphones already support them—the move shows Nothing’s ambition to build AI into the core of its ecosystem.
A Small Player with Bold Ambitions
Despite its growing buzz, Nothing holds less than 1% of the global smartphone market, according to IDC. Giants like Apple, Samsung, and Huawei still dominate the space. But Pei sees this as an advantage: being small allows the company to take risks and innovate faster.
His vision is to create hardware tailored specifically for AI, starting with smartphones. If successful, Nothing could later expand into specialized devices built around AI use cases.
The Challenges of Vibe Coding
Nothing calls its new approach “vibe coding,” where apps are generated by describing what you want rather than writing code. While the concept is promising, past attempts from other app makers have struggled due to security risks and maintenance issues.
Pei acknowledges the challenge:
“We have millions of users. Whatever we ship must be easy to use but hard to misuse. Security will remain a top priority.”
Currently, Playground is free to use, with no paid plans announced. Instead, Nothing wants to focus on building a community of creators who contribute useful mini apps.
The Bottom Line
The Nothing AI tool Playground could reshape how people interact with their smartphones, turning prompts into practical, shareable apps. While it’s still early days, Nothing’s bold experiment shows how smaller players may drive innovation in AI-powered mobile technology.