Whether you’re the one constantly turning to a tech-savvy friend to add a simple lock screen widget—or that go-to friend yourself—keeping pace with the rapid evolution of AI tools has become nearly impossible for the average person. Google is one of many companies racing to establish its presence in the AI space. Case in point: Google I/O 2025, held just a few days ago, was unsurprisingly centered almost entirely around AI.
Google has been steadily expanding its AI presence—releasing new models, introducing AI-powered features, and even teasing the arrival of Gemini on the Pixel Watch. It’s clear the company has no intention of slowing down. While Google is usually vocal about its AI advancements, some projects are released under the radar. The latest example? A quiet rollout that’s sure to interest fans of local AI.
Google quietly launches AI Edge Gallery for Android
As reported by TechCrunch, Google has quietly released a new Android app called AI Edge Gallery, designed to run AI models directly on a user’s device—no Wi-Fi required. The app supports a variety of open-source AI models from platforms like Hugging Face, including Google’s own Gemma 3n.
For those unfamiliar, Hugging Face is a popular platform that provides developers with easy access to pre-trained machine learning models for building AI-powered apps. According to its GitHub page, Google describes the AI Edge Gallery as an experimental app that “puts the power of cutting-edge Generative AI models directly into your hands.”
With this app, users can browse and download available AI models, then run them locally to do everything from image generation and chatting, to web browsing, coding, and answering questions—all without needing an internet connection.
While local AI models can’t do everything their cloud-based counterparts can, they offer several compelling advantages. For one, they provide faster response times since there’s no need to communicate with external servers—everything runs directly on your device, leveraging its own processing power. This on-device setup also means your data stays local, dramatically reducing the risk of it being intercepted, stored, or misused, making local AI a smart option for privacy-conscious users. Another key perk? You don’t need to rely on a stable Wi-Fi or cellular connection, making local AI tools much more flexible and accessible on the go.
As mentioned earlier, Google AI Edge Gallery is currently available for Android devices, although it hasn’t hit the Play Store yet. Instead, you can download it via GitHub, where Google provides a step-by-step user guide and the APK file. An iOS version is also in the works, according to Google.