Google announced native Android app creation capabilities in its web-based AI Studio platform at Google I/O 2026 on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. The new tools allow users to build Android apps in minutes, compressing a process that previously required weeks of setup and coding.
The feature is designed for a broad range of users, from experienced developers prototyping quickly to first-time creators with no technical background. Apps are built using the Kotlin programming language with Google’s Jetpack Compose toolkit and support hardware integrations including GPS, Bluetooth, and NFC.
During development, users can preview their app through an embedded Android Emulator running directly in a web browser, then install it on a physical Android device via USB using the Android Debug Bridge. For those ready to go further, AI Studio can automatically package the app and upload it to an internal testing track in Google Play Console.
Projects can also be exported to Android Studio via a zip file or pushed directly to GitHub. Google says support for publishing apps to family and friends, along with Firebase integrations — including Firestore, Firebase Auth, and Firebase App Check — is still on the roadmap. For now, apps created through AI Studio are intended for personal use only.
Alongside the development tools, Google announced a new “Ask Play” AI-powered overlay that lets users discover apps through natural language conversations within the Play Store. Google’s Gemini assistant will also begin surfacing third-party Android apps to users across Gemini on the web and Android in the coming weeks. Later in 2026, Gemini will additionally surface over 450,000 movies and TV shows and sports livestreaming options, linking users directly to relevant apps.
The announcement expands on Google’s earlier addition of AI-assisted coding in the desktop version of Android Studio and positions AI Studio in competition with other AI-powered development tools, including Cursor, Replit, Lovable, and Claude Code.
Source: TechCrunch