Nothing Phone (3a) Update Uses Your Camera To Create Reminders, Notes, And More [Video]

A new update is rolling out for Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro which upgrades the “Essential Space” feature with support for the camera, meaning you can use the AI tool to generate reminders, notes, and more just by pointing your phone at something.

Nothing’s Essential Space feature is still in its relatively early days, but allows users to press the “Essential Key” on the side of the device to capture what’s on screen and record a voice note with it. AI then analyzes that and can create reminders, notes, and other useful bits of information in the background, somewhat similar to Google’s Pixel Screenshots app.

With the latest software update, Nothing is adding better support to the camera.

Pressing the Essential Key with the camera open will now take a picture of what you see rather than taking a screenshot, allowing you to send whatever the camera sees directly to Essential Space. From there, the app can analyze a picture of a poster, billboard, or really anything else and pull the information within to create helpful reminders or notes. Nothing adds that these captures aren’t stored alongside normal photos, offering a layer of separation.

In a demo, Nothing shows the feature being used with a poster, with Essential Space creating a note with all of the details in readable text and adding useful tidbits, such as a link to the location on Google Maps.

The full changelog for this latest Nothing Phone (3a) update is below, with improvements also coming to the camera as a whole and to the always-on display. The only update not found on the base Phone (3a) that is available on Phone (3a) Pro is an improvement to focusing at 2x zoom.

Essential Key now works in camera: capture real-world content directly with a short press to add notes or long press for voice input.
Camera Enhancements
More intuitive camera zoom interaction.
Corrected the reddish skin tone issue in front-facing camera selfies.
Enhanced white balance in rear camera indoor scenes.
Better clarity and tone when capturing portraits in backlight conditions.
Faster overall camera performance and responsiveness.‎
Other Improvements
Optimised Essential Space experience and performance.
Improved AOD (Always-On Display) transition animations.
Various bug fixes and stability improvements.‎