The Gemini app doesn’t work offline. It answers with Google’s cloud models, so without a connection it can’t reply. Google does have a small on-device model, Gemini Nano, that runs with no connection on supported phones, but it powers specific features such as recording summaries and image descriptions, not open-ended chat in the Gemini app. If you want an AI you can talk to in airplane mode, you need an app that runs a model on the phone itself.
Gemini, Gemini Nano and Gemma: what’s the difference? #
Google uses the name for several things, which is why the offline question gets confusing.
| Name | What it is | Where it runs | Works offline? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini app | Google’s chatbot on Android, iPhone and the web | Google’s servers | No |
| Gemini models (Flash, Pro and so on) | The large models behind the app | Google’s servers | No |
| Gemini Nano | A small model built into some Android phones | On the phone, through the AICore system service | Yes |
| Gemma | Google DeepMind’s open-weight models anyone can download | Wherever you run them, including phones | Yes |
What works in airplane mode on Android? #
Anything built on Gemini Nano can work without a connection, because the model sits on the phone. Everything that talks to Gemini in the cloud stops.
| Feature | Offline? |
|---|---|
| Chatting in the Gemini app, typed or spoken | No |
| Gemini Live conversations | No |
| Gemini inside Gmail, Docs and other Google apps | No |
| Circle to Search and other web lookups | No |
| Recorder summaries on supported Pixel phones | Yes, they use Gemini Nano |
| TalkBack’s detailed image descriptions on supported phones | Yes, with Gemini Nano |
| Third-party apps using Google’s on-device AI tools | Yes, if the app is built for Gemini Nano |
The list of Nano-powered features varies by phone model and Android version, and Google adds features through updates. The quickest check is the practical one: switch on airplane mode and try the feature.
Which phones have Gemini Nano? #
Gemini Nano first shipped on the Pixel 8 Pro in December 2023 and came to Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series in January 2024. It has since spread to more high-end Android phones, but it needs a recent chip and plenty of RAM, so many mid-range and older phones don’t have it.
To check yours, open Settings > Apps, show system apps, and look for AICore. That’s the system service that runs Gemini Nano. If it’s missing, your phone doesn’t run the model. We explain what AICore does and why it takes storage in what is Android AICore.
Gemini Nano isn’t available on iPhone. On iOS, the Gemini app is always cloud-based.
What does Google keep from your Gemini chats? #
Because the Gemini app runs in the cloud, your conversations go to Google. According to the Gemini Apps Privacy Hub:
- Gemini collects your prompts, uploaded files, Gemini Live recordings, feedback, and content from apps you connect.
- A subset of chats is reviewed by human reviewers, including trained service providers, to improve Google’s services.
- With the Keep Activity setting on, your chats can be used to improve Google’s models. Turning it off stops future chats being used that way.
- Even with Keep Activity off, and for temporary chats, conversations are kept with your account for 72 hours.
That’s a normal cloud-chatbot arrangement, and Google is clearer about it than most. It’s still a reason not to paste in medical records or client files. For a side-by-side of the big assistants, see do humans read your AI chats.
How to get an AI chat that works offline #
Use an app that downloads an open model to the phone and runs it there. The easiest link to Google’s world is Gemma, Google DeepMind’s family of open models, which you can run offline with no Google account at all.
Personal LLM includes two Gemma 4 models built for phones: Gemma 4 E2B (2.04 GB download, 3 GB of RAM or more) and Gemma 4 E4B (3.00 GB, 5 GB or more), both quantization-aware trained, with support for more than 140 languages. The catalog also has Qwen 3.5 in three sizes, Ministral 3 3B and GLM 4.6V Flash, and every model can answer questions about photos once you add its image-support file. You download a model once from Hugging Face; after that it works in airplane mode and chats never leave the phone. It runs on Android 7 or later and iOS 15.1 or later, so it doesn’t matter whether your phone has Gemini Nano.
| Gemini app | Gemma 4 in Personal LLM | |
|---|---|---|
| Works offline | No | Yes, after a one-time download |
| Account needed | Google account | None |
| Where chats are stored | Google’s servers | Only on your phone |
| Answer quality | Stronger on hard questions and current events | Good for everyday tasks, weaker on complex reasoning |
| Knows today’s news | Yes, via search | No, only what it learned in training |
| Cost | Free tier, paid plans for more | Free with ads online; one-time purchase removes them |
The honest trade-off: Gemini in the cloud is the more capable assistant, and it can search the web. A phone-sized model can’t look anything up and will make more mistakes on difficult questions. For drafting, summarizing, translating, explaining and anything private, it’s often enough, and it works where there’s no signal. Our guide to AI without internet covers the rest of what works offline on Android and iPhone, and the Apple side is in does Apple Intelligence work offline.
Frequently asked questions #
Does Gemini need internet? #
Yes, the Gemini app does. It sends your requests to Google’s cloud models. Only features built on Gemini Nano, the on-device model on some Android phones, work without a connection.
Can I download Gemini to use offline? #
No. You can’t download the Gemini models behind the app. Google’s open Gemma models can be downloaded and run offline, including on phones, through apps that support them.
Is Gemini Nano the same as the Gemini app? #
No. Gemini Nano is a small model that runs on the phone and powers specific features such as summaries and image descriptions. The Gemini app uses much larger models in Google’s cloud.
Does Gemini work in airplane mode? #
The Gemini app doesn’t. Gemini Nano features on supported phones do, because the model runs on the device. Test the specific feature you need before relying on it without a connection.
Is Gemma the same as Gemini? #
They’re separate model families from Google. Gemini models run in Google’s cloud and power the Gemini app. Gemma models are released as open weights, so you can download them and run them yourself, including offline on a phone.