How to Install and Run Gemma 4 on Android: Complete Getting-Started Guide

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:55:53 +0800

If you want to run Gemma 4 offline on your phone, this guide walks you through the full process from setup to practical usage.

Step 1: Get the App

Google AI Edge Gallery is currently not available on Google Play, so you need to install it via APK sideloading.

On your Android device, go to:

Settings -> Apps -> Special app access -> Install unknown apps

Then:

Find your browser (for example, Chrome or Firefox) and enable “Allow from this source.”
Open the Google AI Edge Gallery GitHub Releases page in your mobile browser.

URL: https://github.com/google-ai-edge/gallery/releases

Download the latest .apk package.
After the download completes, open the file from notifications or your file manager and follow the prompts.

With a stable connection, this step usually takes around 2 minutes.

Step 2: Open the App and Grant Permissions

When you first open AI Edge Gallery, it will request storage permission to save model files. It’s best to allow this; otherwise, the app cannot download or load models.

You will typically see these sections on the home screen:

Ask Image: Vision tasks (describe images, answer questions about photos)
AI Chat: Standard text chat
Summarize: Paste text and generate summaries
Smart Reply: Generate reply suggestions

For most users, AI Chat is the primary entry point.

Step 3: Download a Gemma 4 Model

Enter AI Chat.
Tap Get Models when prompted.
Choose a Gemma 4 model from the list (model size is shown).
Pick based on your device capability; if your phone has 8GB RAM, start with Gemma 4 4B.
Tap Download and let it run in the background.

Note: Larger models take longer to download. You can download multiple models and switch between them later. Downloaded models stay on your device, so you do not need to re-download them.

Step 4: Start Chatting

After the model download is finished:

Tap the model name to load it (the first load usually takes 10 to 30 seconds depending on model size and device performance).
Enter your prompt in the chat box and send it.
The model generates responses locally, and your data does not leave the phone.

The first reply is often slower due to model warm-up. Later messages in the same session are usually faster.

Step 5: Try Vision Features (Gemma 4 Multimodal)

If you downloaded a Gemma 4 multimodal variant:

Go back to the main menu and open Ask Image.
Select an image or take a photo.
Ask a question (for example, “What’s in this image?” or “Is there any text I should pay attention to?”).
Wait for the model to analyze the image locally and return a result.

This feature works offline, and your image is not sent to external servers.