Google is giving a free boost to all Android app developers, if they accept
AI is the newest trend in the smartphone industry — well, that and tri-folding phones apparently — and Google wants to get everyone in on it. The company is granting developers access to Gemini Nano, its AI model that is capable of running on-device without an internet connection.
This access is currently limited to Pixel 9 phones, though more compatibility will be rolling out soon. Developers will be able to integrate Nano into their third party apps to supercharge them with AI. We could soon see most major apps on the Play Store come with AI support.
Nano’s integration is, as of now, very limited. Developers can only use it for the standard textual actions modern AI is known for like:
Google claims multi-modal use will soon follow as well, which means support for images, voice and perhaps even videos.
This access is currently limited to Pixel 9 phones, though more compatibility will be rolling out soon. Developers will be able to integrate Nano into their third party apps to supercharge them with AI. We could soon see most major apps on the Play Store come with AI support.
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Google claims multi-modal use will soon follow as well, which means support for images, voice and perhaps even videos.
A large part of current Pixel marketing involves Gemini. | Video credit — Google
So, what does this mean for the end user? We can expect to start seeing apps that offer helpful little features alongside their primary functions. Imagine a third party gallery app able to sort photos intelligently like Apple Intelligence.
At the moment, smartphone AI is more of a gimmick than a very useful tool. It just does things you can do yourself but faster. A more impressive showcase of what AI is capable of are the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses which just got a massive free update allowing them to do all sorts of cool stuff.
However, with Gemini Nano coming to third party apps alongside 16 KB page size support in Android 15, Google is really looking to improve its operating system this year. Which means we can expect to see Android phones get even better in the coming years, both in practicality and performance.
It also means seeing AI almost everywhere. I’ve said before that people who want to stay away from AI won’t be able to do so for long, and this just kind of confirms it. Why not fill your app with the biggest buzzword of the industry?
At the moment, smartphone AI is more of a gimmick than a very useful tool. It just does things you can do yourself but faster. A more impressive showcase of what AI is capable of are the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses which just got a massive free update allowing them to do all sorts of cool stuff.
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