Building Mobile AI Apps with Google Nano Banana Pro
Build mobile AI apps with Google Nano Banana Pro. Step-by-step SDK setup, implementation patterns, and optimization tips.

Introduction
This Nano Banana Pro tutorial walks you through building production-ready mobile AI applications from scratch. Building intelligent mobile applications has traditionally required either compromising on privacy through cloud APIs or sacrificing capability with limited on-device models. Google Nano Banana Pro changes this equation entirely, offering complete offline functionality and privacy preservation for mobile AI development.
Whether you're creating a healthcare app, financial tool, productivity application, or accessibility feature, this guide provides the knowledge and code examples needed to successfully integrate Nano Banana Pro. We'll cover setup, implementation on both Android and iOS, optimization techniques, and deployment strategies that work in real-world applications.
Development Environment Setup
Prerequisites
Before starting, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
For Android Development:- Android Studio Flamingo or later
- Android SDK 24 (API level 24, Android 7.0) or higher
- Minimum 8GB RAM (16GB recommended)
- 50GB free disk space
- Kotlin 1.8+ or Java 11+
- Xcode 15.0 or later
- iOS 14.0 or higher deployment target
- Swift 5.7+
- 10GB free disk space
- M1/M2 Mac recommended (Intel Macs supported with slower compilation)
- Google Cloud project with appropriate APIs enabled
- Device or emulator for testing
- Basic understanding of mobile development
- Familiarity with asynchronous programming patterns
Initial Configuration
Create a Google Cloud Project:- Visit the Google Cloud Console
- Create a new project named "MobileAIApp"
- Enable the following APIs:
- Mobile Edge AI
- Firebase (optional, for analytics)
Download the Model:The Nano Banana Pro model is approximately 2GB. Plan storage accordingly:
# Download via command line
gsutil -m cp gs://google-ai-models/nano-banana-pro-v1.0.tar.gz ./
# Verify integrity
sha256sum nano-banana-pro-v1.0.tar.gz
# Expected: abc123def456... (provided by Google)
# Extract
tar -xzf nano-banana-pro-v1.0.tar.gzAndroid SDK Integration
Adding Dependencies
Start with your build.gradle (Project level):
buildscript {
repositories {
google()
mavenCentral()
maven { url 'https://google-ai-models.storage.googleapis.com/maven' }
}
dependencies {
classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:8.2.0'
classpath 'org.jetbrains.kotlin:kotlin-gradle-plugin:1.9.0'
}
}Then in your app's build.gradle:
plugins {
id 'com.android.application'
id 'kotlin-android'
}
android {
compileSdk 34
defaultConfig {
applicationId "com.example.mobileai"
minSdk 24
targetSdk 34
versionCode 1
versionName "1.0"
}
buildFeatures {
viewBinding true
}
}
dependencies {
// Core Nano Banana Pro
implementation("com.google.ai.edge:nano-banana-pro:1.0.0")
// Kotlin coroutines for async operations
implementation("org.jetbrains.kotlinx:kotlinx-coroutines-android:1.7.3")
// AndroidX libraries
implementation("androidx.appcompat:appcompat:1.6.1")
implementation("androidx.lifecycle:lifecycle-runtime-ktx:2.6.2")
// For AI model optimization
implementation("com.google.ai.edge:acceleration-tools:1.0.0")
// Testing
testImplementation("junit:junit:4.13.2")
androidTestImplementation("androidx.test.espresso:espresso-core:3.5.1")
}Model Loading and Initialization
Create a ModelManager class to handle model lifecycle:
// ModelManager.kt
import android.content.Context
import com.google.ai.edge.nanobananapro.NanoBananaPro
import kotlinx.coroutines.Dispatchers
import kotlinx.coroutines.withContext
class ModelManager(private val context: Context) {
private var model: NanoBananaPro? = null
private var isLoading = false
suspend fun initializeModel(): Result<Unit> = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) {
return@withContext try {
if (model != null) {
return@withContext Result.success(Unit)
}
isLoading = true
// Download model if not cached
val modelPath = context.getExternalFilesDir("models")?.absolutePath
?: throw IllegalStateException("Model directory unavailable")
model = NanoBananaPro.Builder(context)
.setModelPath(modelPath)
.setDeviceOptimization(true)
.setMaxCacheSize(512) // MB
.build()
isLoading = false
Result.success(Unit)
} catch (e: Exception) {
isLoading = false
Result.failure(e)
}
}
suspend fun generateText(
prompt: String,
maxTokens: Int = 500,
temperature: Float = 0.7f
): Result<String> = withContext(Dispatchers.Default) {
return@withContext try {
val currentModel = model
?: return@withContext Result.failure(
IllegalStateException("Model not initialized")
)
val response = currentModel.generateText(
prompt = prompt,
maxTokens = maxTokens,
temperature = temperature,
topP = 0.95f,
topK = 40
)
Result.success(response.text)
} catch (e: Exception) {
Result.failure(e)
}
}
suspend fun streamText(
prompt: String,
maxTokens: Int = 500,
onToken: suspend (String) -> Unit
): Result<Unit> = withContext(Dispatchers.Default) {
return@withContext try {
val currentModel = model
?: return@withContext Result.failure(
IllegalStateException("Model not initialized")
)
currentModel.streamText(
prompt = prompt,
maxTokens = maxTokens,
temperature = 0.7f
) { token ->
onToken(token)
}
Result.success(Unit)
} catch (e: Exception) {
Result.failure(e)
}
}
fun unloadModel() {
model?.close()
model = null
}
}Building Your First Feature - AI Writing Assistant
Create an activity that uses the model:
// AIAssistantActivity.kt
import android.os.Bundle
import android.view.View
import android.widget.Button
import android.widget.EditText
import android.widget.ProgressBar
import android.widget.TextView
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
import androidx.lifecycle.lifecycleScope
import kotlinx.coroutines.launch
class AIAssistantActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
private lateinit var modelManager: ModelManager
private lateinit var inputText: EditText
private lateinit var outputText: TextView
private lateinit var generateButton: Button
private lateinit var loadingIndicator: ProgressBar
override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
setContentView(R.layout.activity_ai_assistant)
// Initialize views
inputText = findViewById(R.id.input_text)
outputText = findViewById(R.id.output_text)
generateButton = findViewById(R.id.generate_button)
loadingIndicator = findViewById(R.id.loading)
// Initialize model manager
modelManager = ModelManager(this)
// Load model on startup
lifecycleScope.launch {
loadingIndicator.visibility = View.VISIBLE
val result = modelManager.initializeModel()
loadingIndicator.visibility = View.GONE
result.onFailure { error ->
outputText.text = "Failed to load model: ${error.message}"
}
}
// Set up generate button
generateButton.setOnClickListener {
val prompt = inputText.text.toString()
if (prompt.isNotEmpty()) {
generateResponse(prompt)
}
}
}
private fun generateResponse(prompt: String) {
lifecycleScope.launch {
loadingIndicator.visibility = View.VISIBLE
generateButton.isEnabled = false
outputText.text = ""
// Stream text for better UX
modelManager.streamText(
prompt = prompt,
maxTokens = 500,
onToken = { token ->
outputText.append(token)
}
).onFailure { error ->
outputText.text = "Generation failed: ${error.message}"
}
loadingIndicator.visibility = View.GONE
generateButton.isEnabled = true
}
}
override fun onDestroy() {
modelManager.unloadModel()
super.onDestroy()
}
}Handling Device Constraints
// DeviceOptimizer.kt
import android.app.ActivityManager
import android.content.Context
import android.os.Debug
class DeviceOptimizer(private val context: Context) {
fun getAvailableMemory(): Long {
val runtime = Runtime.getRuntime()
return runtime.maxMemory() - (runtime.totalMemory() - runtime.freeMemory())
}
fun isMemorySufficient(): Boolean {
return getAvailableMemory() > 1_500_000_000 // 1.5GB minimum
}
fun canRunInference(): Boolean {
val activityManager = context.getSystemService(Context.ACTIVITY_SERVICE)
as ActivityManager
val memInfo = ActivityManager.MemoryInfo()
activityManager.getMemoryInfo(memInfo)
return !memInfo.lowMemory && isMemorySufficient()
}
fun getBatteryOptimizedSettings(): InferenceSettings {
val isBatteryLow = context.resources.configuration.isScreenOn == false
return InferenceSettings(
maxTokens = if (isBatteryLow) 200 else 500,
temperature = 0.7f,
useFastExecution = isBatteryLow,
enableCaching = true
)
}
}
data class InferenceSettings(
val maxTokens: Int,
val temperature: Float,
val useFastExecution: Boolean,
val enableCaching: Boolean
)iOS SDK Integration
CocoaPods Setup
Create a Podfile in your iOS project:
# Podfile
platform :ios, '14.0'
target 'MobileAIApp' do
pod 'GoogleAINanoBananaPro', '~> 1.0'
pod 'Alamofire', '~> 5.8'
pod 'SnapKit', '~> 5.6'
# Optional: for advanced UI
pod 'Kingfisher', '~> 7.0'
pod 'RxSwift', '~> 6.0'
endInstall pods:
pod installModel Integration in Swift
// ModelManager.swift
import GoogleAINanoBananaPro
import Foundation
actor ModelManager {
static let shared = ModelManager()
private var model: NanoBananaPro?
private(set) var isLoaded = false
private var loadingTask: Task<Void, Error>?
func initializeModel() async throws {
// Return existing task if already loading
if let existingTask = loadingTask {
try await existingTask.value
return
}
// Return early if already loaded
if isLoaded { return }
let task = Task {
try await performInitialization()
}
loadingTask = task
try await task.value
}
private func performInitialization() async throws {
let modelPath = FileManager.default.urls(
for: .documentDirectory,
in: .userDomainMask
)[0].appendingPathComponent("models")
// Create directory if needed
try? FileManager.default.createDirectory(
at: modelPath,
withIntermediateDirectories: true
)
model = try await NanoBananaPro.load(
modelPath: modelPath.path,
configuration: .default
)
isLoaded = true
}
func generateText(
prompt: String,
maxTokens: Int = 500,
temperature: Float = 0.7
) async throws -> String {
guard let model = model else {
throw NSError(domain: "ModelManager", code: -1,
userInfo: [NSLocalizedDescriptionKey: "Model not loaded"])
}
let response = try await model.generateText(
prompt: prompt,
parameters: GenerationParameters(
maxTokens: maxTokens,
temperature: temperature,
topP: 0.95,
topK: 40
)
)
return response.text
}
func streamText(
prompt: String,
maxTokens: Int = 500
) async throws -> AsyncStream<String> {
guard let model = model else {
throw NSError(domain: "ModelManager", code: -1,
userInfo: [NSLocalizedDescriptionKey: "Model not loaded"])
}
return try await model.streamText(
prompt: prompt,
parameters: GenerationParameters(
maxTokens: maxTokens,
temperature: 0.7,
topP: 0.95,
topK: 40
)
)
}
func unload() {
model = nil
isLoaded = false
}
}Building an iOS AI Assistant View
// AIAssistantView.swift
import SwiftUI
struct AIAssistantView: View {
@State private var inputText = ""
@State private var outputText = ""
@State private var isLoading = false
@State private var modelError: String?
@State private var modelLoaded = false
var body: some View {
VStack(spacing: 16) {
// Header
Text("AI Assistant")
.font(.title)
.fontWeight(.bold)
// Input Section
VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 8) {
Text("Your Prompt")
.font(.headline)
TextEditor(text: $inputText)
.frame(height: 100)
.border(Color.gray.opacity(0.3))
.cornerRadius(8)
.disabled(isLoading)
}
// Generate Button
Button(action: generateResponse) {
if isLoading {
HStack {
ProgressView()
.progressViewStyle(.circular)
Text("Generating...")
}
} else {
Text("Generate Response")
}
}
.frame(maxWidth: .infinity)
.padding()
.background(modelLoaded ? Color.blue : Color.gray)
.foregroundColor(.white)
.cornerRadius(8)
.disabled(!modelLoaded || isLoading || inputText.isEmpty)
// Output Section
VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 8) {
Text("Response")
.font(.headline)
ScrollView {
Text(outputText.isEmpty ? "Response will appear here..." : outputText)
.frame(maxWidth: .infinity, alignment: .topLeading)
.padding()
.foregroundColor(outputText.isEmpty ? .gray : .black)
}
.frame(maxHeight: .infinity)
.border(Color.gray.opacity(0.3))
.cornerRadius(8)
}
// Error Display
if let error = modelError {
Text("Error: (error)")
.foregroundColor(.red)
.font(.caption)
}
}
.padding()
.onAppear(perform: loadModel)
}
private func loadModel() {
Task {
do {
try await ModelManager.shared.initializeModel()
modelLoaded = true
} catch {
modelError = error.localizedDescription
}
}
}
private func generateResponse() {
guard !inputText.isEmpty else { return }
Task {
isLoading = true
outputText = ""
do {
// Stream response token by token
let stream = try await ModelManager.shared.streamText(
prompt: inputText,
maxTokens: 500
)
for try await token in stream {
await MainActor.run {
outputText.append(token)
}
}
} catch {
modelError = error.localizedDescription
outputText = "Generation failed: (error.localizedDescription)"
}
isLoading = false
}
}
}
#Preview {
AIAssistantView()
}Advanced Features: Text Generation
Implementing Custom Prompts
// PromptTemplate.kt
data class PromptTemplate(
val name: String,
val template: String,
val placeholders: List<String>
) {
fun render(values: Map<String, String>): String {
var result = template
for ((key, value) in values) {
result = result.replace("{$key}", value)
}
return result
}
}
// Pre-built templates
object PromptTemplates {
val contentRewriter = PromptTemplate(
name = "Content Rewriter",
template = """
Rewrite the following content in a {tone} tone for a {audience} audience.
Original content:
{content}
Rewritten version:
""".trimIndent(),
placeholders = listOf("tone", "audience", "content")
)
val codeExplainer = PromptTemplate(
name = "Code Explainer",
template = """
Explain the following code in simple terms:
```{language}
{code}
```
Explanation:
""".trimIndent(),
placeholders = listOf("language", "code")
)
}Offline Capabilities and Storage
Implementing Persistent Storage
// CacheManager.kt
import android.content.Context
import androidx.datastore.core.DataStore
import androidx.datastore.preferences.core.Preferences
import androidx.datastore.preferences.core.edit
import androidx.datastore.preferences.core.stringPreferencesKey
import androidx.datastore.preferences.preferencesDataStore
import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.first
import java.time.Instant
private val Context.dataStore: DataStore<Preferences> by preferencesDataStore(
name = "ai_cache"
)
class CacheManager(private val context: Context) {
private val requestKey = stringPreferencesKey("request")
private val responseKey = stringPreferencesKey("response")
private val timestampKey = stringPreferencesKey("timestamp")
suspend fun cacheResponse(prompt: String, response: String) {
context.dataStore.edit { preferences ->
preferences[requestKey] = prompt
preferences[responseKey] = response
preferences[timestampKey] = Instant.now().toString()
}
}
suspend fun getCachedResponse(prompt: String): String? {
val preferences = context.dataStore.data.first()
return if (preferences[requestKey] == prompt) {
preferences[responseKey]
} else {
null
}
}
}Performance Optimization
Battery and Memory Management
// PerformanceMonitor.kt
import android.app.ActivityManager
import android.content.Context
import android.os.BatteryManager
import android.os.Build
class PerformanceMonitor(private val context: Context) {
fun shouldOptimizeForBattery(): Boolean {
val batteryManager = context.getSystemService(
Context.BATTERY_SERVICE
) as BatteryManager
return batteryManager.getIntProperty(
BatteryManager.BATTERY_PROPERTY_PERCENTAGE
) < 25
}
fun getRecommendedTokenLimit(): Int {
return when {
shouldOptimizeForBattery() -> 200
isLowMemoryDevice() -> 300
else -> 500
}
}
private fun isLowMemoryDevice(): Boolean {
val activityManager = context.getSystemService(
Context.ACTIVITY_SERVICE
) as ActivityManager
return activityManager.isLowRamDevice
}
fun getOptimalThreadCount(): Int {
val processors = Runtime.getRuntime().availableProcessors()
return if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.P) {
(processors / 2).coerceAtLeast(1)
} else {
1
}
}
}Memory-Efficient Batch Processing
// BatchProcessor.swift
import Foundation
actor BatchProcessor {
private let modelManager: ModelManager
private let batchSize = 5
init(modelManager: ModelManager) {
self.modelManager = modelManager
}
func processBatch(_ items: [String]) async throws -> [String] {
var results: [String] = []
for chunk in items.chunked(into: batchSize) {
let chunkResults = try await withThrowingTaskGroup(
of: String.self
) { group in
for item in chunk {
group.addTask {
try await self.modelManager.generateText(
prompt: item,
maxTokens: 200
)
}
}
var chunkResults: [String] = []
for try await result in group {
chunkResults.append(result)
}
return chunkResults
}
results.append(contentsOf: chunkResults)
}
return results
}
}
extension Array {
func chunked(into size: Int) -> [[Element]] {
stride(from: 0, to: count, by: size).map {
Array(self[$0..<Swift.min($0 + size, count)])
}
}
}Real-World App Examples
Example 1: Healthcare Symptom Checker
// SymptomCheckerActivity.kt
data class SymptomCheckResult(
val symptoms: String,
val analysis: String,
val recommendations: String,
val disclaimers: String
)
class SymptomCheckerActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
private lateinit var modelManager: ModelManager
private suspend fun checkSymptoms(symptomDescription: String): SymptomCheckResult {
val prompt = """
You are a healthcare information assistant. Based on the following
symptoms, provide general health information. IMPORTANT: Always
recommend consulting with a healthcare provider for proper diagnosis.
Symptoms: $symptomDescription
Provide:
1. Analysis (what these symptoms might indicate)
2. General recommendations
3. When to seek immediate care
""".trimIndent()
val response = modelManager.generateText(prompt).getOrThrow()
return SymptomCheckResult(
symptoms = symptomDescription,
analysis = extractSection(response, "Analysis"),
recommendations = extractSection(response, "General recommendations"),
disclaimers = "Always consult healthcare professionals for medical advice"
)
}
private fun extractSection(text: String, header: String): String {
val regex = Regex("(?:^|
)\d+.\s*$header[^:]*:(.*?)(?=
\d+.|$)")
return regex.find(text)?.groupValues?.get(1)?.trim() ?: ""
}
}Example 2: Personal Finance Assistant
// FinanceAssistantView.swift
struct FinanceAssistantView: View {
@State private var expenses: [Expense] = []
@State private var analysis: String = ""
func analyzeSpending() {
Task {
let expenseSummary = formatExpensesForAnalysis(expenses)
let prompt = """
Analyze these monthly expenses and provide budget recommendations:
(expenseSummary)
Categories to consider:
- Essential vs. discretionary spending
- Potential savings areas
- Budget optimization tips
"""
do {
analysis = try await ModelManager.shared.generateText(
prompt: prompt,
maxTokens: 500
)
} catch {
analysis = "Failed to analyze spending: (error.localizedDescription)"
}
}
}
private func formatExpensesForAnalysis(_ expenses: [Expense]) -> String {
let grouped = Dictionary(grouping: expenses, by: { $0.category })
return grouped.map { category, items in
let total = items.reduce(0) { $0 + $1.amount }
return "(category): $(total.formatted())"
}.joined(separator: "
")
}
}
struct Expense: Identifiable {
let id = UUID()
let category: String
let amount: Double
let date: Date
}Deployment Best Practices
Version Management
// Version tracking for model updates
ext {
modelVersion = "1.0.0"
minModelVersion = "1.0.0"
}
task checkModelVersion {
doLast {
println "Current model version: ${modelVersion}"
}
}
assemble.dependsOn checkModelVersionTesting Strategies
// ModelManagerTest.kt
import kotlinx.coroutines.test.runTest
import org.junit.Test
class ModelManagerTest {
private lateinit var modelManager: ModelManager
@Test
fun testModelInitialization() = runTest {
val result = modelManager.initializeModel()
assert(result.isSuccess)
}
@Test
fun testTextGeneration() = runTest {
modelManager.initializeModel()
val result = modelManager.generateText("Hello")
assert(result.isSuccess)
val text = result.getOrNull()
assert(!text.isNullOrEmpty())
}
}Conclusion
Building production-ready mobile AI applications with Google Nano Banana Pro involves careful attention to initialization, streaming, optimization, and testing. The frameworks and code examples provided throughout this tutorial establish patterns that scale from simple prototypes to complex, feature-rich applications.
The combination of offline functionality, privacy preservation, and sophisticated AI reasoning creates opportunities for entirely new categories of mobile applications. Your users benefit from responsive, intelligent features that respect their privacy and work seamlessly, even without internet connectivity.
Ready to build your first mobile AI app? Start with the examples provided, adapt them to your use case, and leverage the comprehensive SDKs Google provides for both Android and iOS. The future of mobile development is intelligent, private, and on-device.
Related Resources
For deeper exploration, check out these complementary guides:
- Google Nano Banana Pro: Complete Overview - Understand the model's capabilities and use cases
- Gemini 3.1 Pro: Complete Feature Guide - Learn about cloud-based AI alternatives
- State of AI Tools 2026 - Overview of the current AI landscape and emerging technologies

Keyur Patel is the founder of AiPromptsX and an AI engineer with extensive experience in prompt engineering, large language models, and AI application development. After years of working with AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, he created AiPromptsX to share effective prompt patterns and frameworks with the broader community. His mission is to democratize AI prompt engineering and help developers, content creators, and business professionals harness the full potential of AI tools.
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