What if your phone had unique apps that you had made yourself using AI? That’s the vision of Nothing, the UK-based tech firm, which has today unveiled new AI tools that let users create their own custom Android apps using natural language prompts.

Called Essential Apps, the software, which is run on a web browser, claims to be able to take written prompts and write the code necessary.

Examples from Nothing include: ‘capture the receipts from camera roll, and export a finance-ready PDF every Friday’, ‘before my calls, show me a one-page brief based on my calendar and message threads’, ‘create a mood tracker that syncs with a music playlist’, and the Essential Apps tool will create apps that do what you ask, and add them to your home screen – as long as you have a Nothing branded phone.

“For decades, our devices have treated us all the same,” Nothing said in a press release. “Rows of apps designed for everyone. Inside operating systems built to monetise attention instead of amplify creativity. But technology doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-all. We believe it should be personal, adaptive, and genuinely under your control.

“With Essential, Nothing is turning foundational AI into hyper-personalised experiences that help in daily life, while breaking away from the rigid and walled gardens that define today’s smartphones.”

Nothing was founded in 2020 and acquired smartphone brand Essential the following year. Essential was originally set up by Android founder Andy Rubin and released one phone in the US before the operation struggled to continue after Rubin was accused of sexual harassment.

Nothing has used the Essential branding previously with its Essential Space app, included on the Nothing Phone 3 series, which uses AI to categorise and summarise screenshots and voice notes.

But creating apps from scratch is a whole other matter.

“With Essential, we begin to chip away at the outdated and elitist system set up by the legacy market leaders,” said Carl Pei, CEO of Nothing. “A new era requires new thinking. The future of software will be one of unrestricted access, collective innovation, and hyper personalisation. Moats of the past will be dismantled, opening the door to a truly user-led future.”

Alongside Essential Apps, Nothing also announced Playground, an online service that will let users share their app creations to a wider community. People can then download or edit them for their own use.

Nothing said that its community has already created hundreds of apps testing out Essential Apps in a testing phase.

“From mental health trackers to family organisers, these creations show how the most transformative AI experiences will come from individuals, not corporations.”

Nothing recently raised $200 million in venture capital funding, which it says will go toward its goal of growing consumer AI products.