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How to Remap the Essential Key on Nothing Phone 3a / 3a Pro and Launch Any App Without Root
Essential Key remapping on the Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro allows you to unlock powerful custom shortcuts without rooting your device. By default, the Essential Key opens Essential Space—a built-in tool to capture screenshots or voice notes—but many users find it unnecessary or underwhelming.
With just a few simple ADB commands and the help of an app like Key Mapper, you can change the behavior of this button completely. Imagine launching your camera, toggling the flashlight, opening Instagram, or even starting BGMI, all from a single button press.
Thanks to insights from Reddit user u/acruzjumper, here’s how you can fully customize the Essential Key.
Why Remap the Essential Key?
If you’re not using Essential Space, that button is being wasted. Remapping the Essential Key gives you:
- Instant access to any app or system tool
- More control over your Android experience
- A way to make your phone feel more personal and useful
- Extra functionality without installing any complex mods or rooting
What You’ll Need
- Your Nothing Phone 3a or 3a Pro
- Either a PC with ADB installed or an Android phone with Termux
- Key Mapper app (available on the Play Store)
- USB Debugging or Wireless Debugging enabled
Step 1: Enable Developer Options and Debugging
- Go to Settings > About Phone
- Tap Build Number 7 times to unlock Developer Options
- Go to Settings > System > Developer Options
- Enable USB Debugging and optionally Wireless Debugging
Step 2: Connect Your Device to ADB
Option A: With PC (Windows or Mac)
- Download Platform Tools from Google’s Android developer site
- Extract the ZIP and open the
platform-toolsfolder - Connect your phone to the PC using a USB cable
- Open a Command Prompt or Terminal in that folder
- Run the following command:
adb devicesYou should see your phone listed. If yes, your setup is complete.
Option B: Without PC (Using Termux on Your Phone)
- Install Termux from Google Play
- Open Termux and install ADB tools:
pkg update && pkg install android-tools - Enable Wireless Debugging on your phone:
- Go to
Settings > System > Developer Options > Wireless Debugging - Tap Pair device with pairing code
- Note the IP address and port number shown
- Go to
- In Termux, run the following commands:
adb pair localhost:<pairing_port> adb connect localhost:<connected_port>Your phone is now ready for ADB commands directly from Termux.
Step 3: Disable Default Essential Key Functions
Once ADB is connected (via PC or Termux), disable the system apps tied to the Essential Key:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.nothing.ntessentialspace
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.nothing.ntessentialrecorder
This stops the button from launching Essential Space or triggering built-in voice note features.
Step 4: Install and Use Key Mapper
- Download Key Mapper from the Google Play Store
- Grant all required permissions (Accessibility, Input, etc.)
- Tap the + icon to add a new mapping
- Tap Record Trigger and press the Essential Key
- It will be detected as
unknown keycode 0 - Choose the action you want (e.g., Launch App > Camera)
- Save the configuration
From now on, every time you press the Essential Key, it will perform your chosen action.
Step 5: Example — Launch Camera
If you want the Essential Key to open the default camera app:
- In Key Mapper, choose
Launch Appand select your Camera app - Or test manually via ADB:
adb shell am start -a android.media.action.STILL_IMAGE_CAMERA
How to Revert to Default Behavior
If you ever want to go back to the original setup, just re-enable the disabled packages:
adb shell pm enable com.nothing.ntessentialspace
adb shell pm enable com.nothing.ntessentialrecorder
Then reboot your phone. The Essential Key will once again open Essential Space and voice note tools.
Final Thoughts
The Essential Key on the Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro is capable of much more than its default setup allows. With a few minutes of configuration, you can make it truly essential to your everyday phone usage. Whether you’re launching apps, automating tasks, or simplifying navigation, this remap trick is a great way to level up your Android experience.
And best of all, it works completely without root.
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Finally, Nothing has officially revealed the first look of the CMF Phone 2 Pro.
The company shared a short 12-second video on X (formerly Twitter) to show off the new phone.
From the video, we can see that the CMF Phone 2 Pro has a screw design on the back, similar to last year’s CMF Phone 1. However, it now features a new camera setup and a dual-tone back, which looks quite stylish.
There’s also a round dial-shaped screw on the back. This could be used for accessories like a lanyard or a phone stand, just like before. It is expected that the CMF Phone 2 Pro will support these attachments.
So far, the colors shown are Orange and White. But more colors like Light Green and Black might also be available later.
Known Specifications:
The CMF Phone 2 Pro is expected to come with a 6.7-inch AMOLED display that supports a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and gaming. It will be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro processor, paired with LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage for faster performance and better multitasking.
For photography, the phone will have a triple camera setup, including a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera, and a 50MP 2x telephoto lens. It will also pack a large 5000mAh battery for long-lasting usage. The phone will feature a plastic frame and back panel, helping to keep the device lightweight. Another highlight is the new Essential Key, which adds useful AI features for better productivity.
For gaming, the company has confirmed it will support 120 FPS in BGMI. So it will be exciting for the gamers that want an phone under Rs 20,000 and
One of the exciting new features is the Essential Key. This was first introduced in the Nothing Phone 3a series. With the Essential Key, users can quickly take notes, capture screenshots, see overviews, get transcripts, and set reminders easily.
Overall, the CMF Phone 2 Pro looks like an upgraded version of the CMF Phone 1. With a triple camera setup, a new Essential Key, and a more uniform display, it seems like a big step forward. Let’s see what more Nothing has to reveal soon!
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After launching the Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro earlier this year, many fans have been asking one question — where is the Phone (3)? The wait may soon be over. Nothing’s founder and CEO Carl Pei, has confirmed that the Phone (3) is on the way.
During a recent Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on X (formerly Twitter), Carl Pei shared that the Nothing Phone (3) will launch sometime between July and September. This means the new phone will arrive in the year’s third quarter.
Nothing did not release a major phone last year, but the Phone (2) came out in July 2023. The original Phone (1) was also launched in July 2022.
Currently, there are no official details or leaks about the Phone (3)’s specs. But since a July launch is possible, we can expect Nothing to begin teasing the device in May or early June.
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Nothing has started rolling out a new software update for the CMF Phone 1. The Nothing OS 3.0 April update comes with the build number Tetris-V3.0-250409-1734-IND and has a size of 203 MB.
One of the main highlights of this update is the official introduction of the Nothing Gallery app. However, there are no major changes as the app was already available earlier through the Google Play Store. This update may have just brought some optimizations for a smoother experience.
Another feature added is a quicker way to Clear All apps. Now, users can long-press and swipe up in the Recent Apps menu to close all running apps. It’s important to note that this feature had already come earlier through a Nothing Launcher update.
The update also brings a new touch feedback toggle in the Settings. This allows users to disable the unlock vibration on the lock screen if they prefer a quieter experience.
Additionally, the pop-up view design has been optimized to make it more polished. Nothing has also fixed a rare issue where the data network switching could be delayed.
For users who are transferring their data to a new phone, the update now supports the transfer of lock screen widget data, making the switch smoother.
A rare issue where emergency dialing could fail in certain areas has also been fixed. Plus, the phone is now updated to the latest April 2025 security patch, helping to improve safety and security.
Lastly, the update brings overall improvements to system stability, ensuring a better and smoother user experience.
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