Androidify is back, and ready to turn you into an Android Bot

Back in 2023, Google unveiled its new Android branding, complete with a new 3D mascot called the ‘Bot’. The Android Bot is beloved by many, as its adorable physique complements almost any color scheme and accessory thrown on it. Last year, Google released a Bot builder tool that lets you create your own Android avatar, but its customization options were quite limited. Now, Google is back with a new app that leverages the power of AI to let you create a fully custom Android Bot that reflects your unique look.

This new app is a revival of a much-loved classic: Androidify. First released in 2011, the original Androidify app let you create a custom version of the Android mascot, allowing you to tweak its skin tone, clothing, hair type, and accessories — an extensive level of customization for the time. Google eventually removed the app from the Play Store in 2020, four years after its final update. At Google I/O back in May, however, the company announced it would be bringing Androidify back with new AI-powered features for creating significantly more personalized avatars.

The new Androidify app leverages the latest Google AI models to transform your photo or prompt into a custom Android Bot. To get started, simply open the app and tap the “Let’s Go” button. Then, take or choose a photo, or enter a text prompt. You can also select a color for your Bot. If you’re having trouble writing a prompt, you can tap “Help me write” to have Google’s AI generate one for you. When you’re ready, tap “Transform” and wait for the AI to work its magic.

After a short time, the Androidify app will show you your custom Bot. If you’re satisfied with the result, you can tap “Customize and Share.” This takes you to the Customize and Export screen, where you can choose from several options (1:1, Wallpaper, Large wallpaper, Banner, and 3:1) to resize or frame the Bot. You can also choose the “Sticker” option to remove the background entirely.

If you want your Bot to have more than a plain white background, you can choose from several options. These range from basic backgrounds like “Lightspeed” and “I/O” to more complex themes like “Music lover,” “Fandroid,” “Gamer,” “Green thumb,” “Jetsetter,” and “Soccer fanatic.” Adding basic backgrounds is instant, but the more complex ones require some extra processing time.

Once you’ve finalized your creation, you can tap “Share your bot” to open the share sheet or “Download” to save the image to your device’s gallery.

You can download the new Androidify app from the Google Play Store on Android for free or try it on the web. Every Friday, Google will also let you create an 8-second video of your Android Bot using its Veo 3 model. Since today is Wednesday, this feature isn’t live yet, so be sure to check back this Friday to try it out.

How does Androidify work?

The process Androidify follows to create your custom Bot depends on whether you provide a text prompt or an image.

When you use a text prompt, the app first validates it using Firebase’s AI Logic SDK. It then generates the image using a custom, fine-tuned Imagen model that Google created specifically for Androidify. Imagen is Google’s text-to-image generation model, and this fine-tuned version is optimized to create images that match the Android Bot’s design.

If you choose the “Help me write” option, Androidify uses the Gemini 2.5 Flash model to generate a random description of a Bot’s clothing and hairstyle. It then feeds that prompt into the same fine-tuned Imagen model mentioned above.

If you use a photo instead, the app has a bit more work to do. It first analyzes the photo with Gemini 2.5 Flash to create a comprehensive description of the most prominent person in the image. This description details key attributes like their hair, facial hair, headwear, skin color, clothing, footwear, accessories, and gadgets. Where appropriate, this analysis also determines the color, length, and style of each attribute, along with the fit and location of items relative to the person.

For brand safety, the model blurs text and removes elements like brand logos, emblems, ID badges, and any accessories showing a person’s face. It also omits facial expressions, background elements, and permanent markings like tattoos or scars. Additionally, it avoids inferring the subject’s ethnicity or gender.

Once a highly descriptive prompt has been built from your photo, Androidify runs it through the fine-tuned Imagen model to generate your personalized Android Bot. Before showing you the Bot, the app evaluates the generated image using ShieldGemma to ensure it meets the company’s safety guidelines.

For the best results, Google has a couple of recommendations. When using a text prompt, share as many details as possible about your clothing, accessories, and unique traits. When using a photo, you’ll get a better outcome from an image that includes at least your shoulders.

Apart from giving users a fun way to reimagine themselves as an Android Bot, the Androidify app also serves as a showcase for the latest Android development best practices and libraries. The app utilizes a full suite of modern tools, including:

• Jetpack Compose for its Material 3 Expressive user interface
• Navigation 3 for screen transitions
• CameraX for taking photos
• ML Kit Pose Detection and Subject Segmentation APIs for detecting a person in the viewfinder and removing backgrounds for stickers
• Media3 Compose for handling media
• Gemini API for accessing the Imagen and Gemini 2.5 Flash models

Developers who are interested in seeing how these technologies are leveraged can explore Androidify’s source code on GitHub.