Nothing Phone 3a Series' Essential Space Hub Updated With Camera Capture Feature

You can now use the Nothing Phone 3a's camera to capture and save important information, without crowding your gallery with unwanted images.

Written by David Delima | Updated: 26 March 2025 11:46 IST

Highlights

Nothing Phone 3a series is receiving an update to Nothing OS 3.1
The update brings Camera Capture to the Essential Space feature
Users will also need to update Essential Space via the Play Store

Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro users can access the feature using the Essential Key

Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro were launched earlier this month, and the new handsets feature an AI-powered hub called Essential Space. The UK-based technology startup has announced that it is rolling out a new Camera Capture feature for the Essential Space. It allows users to quickly snap a picture using their smartphone's camera, then extracts important information using optical character recognition. Nothing says that it will roll out additional features to Essential Space in the coming months.

Nothing Brings Camera Capture to Essential Space via Play Store Update

The company announced on Wednesday that it has begun rolling out a new update to the Essential Space feature. Dubbed Camera Capture, it allows users to tap the Essential Key on the side of the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro, while using the camera app, to capture important information.

Camera Capture on the Nothing Phone 3a (tap to expand)

Nothing also clarified that images taken with Camera Capture on the Nothing Phone 3a series will not be stored alongside other photos in the gallery app. Instead, the smartphone will store these images in the Essential Space, according to the company.

Here’s Why Nothing Used UFS 2.2 Storage in Its New Phone 3a Series

Camera Capture is one of many features coming to Essential Space on the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro. In the coming months, Essential Space will also gain support for Flip to Record, Focused Search, and Smart Collections.

Gadgets 360 was able to confirm that an update to Essential Space was available via the Google Play store, and the feature was working after installing the app update. You'll also need to be running on Nothing OS 3.1 to use the Camera Capture feature.

The Nothing OS 3.1 update is rolling out in batches — our review unit was already running the latest software version. You can manually check if your phone is ready to receive the update by opening the Settings app and navigating to System > System Updates. The update also includes other improvements to the camera and always-on display (AOD) feature on the handsets.