Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Androidify app lets you customize your own Android bot.
- You can use a photo or enter a text prompt.
- There’s an app and a browser version of the tool.
If you’re an Android die-hard, Google is giving you a fun new way to express your fandom.
For more than 15 years, a small green robot (a.k.a. Bugdroid) has been the official mascot of the Android operating system. Several versions of the mascot have existed, with the most recent 3D version rolling out in 2023.
Google debuted a “Create Your Own Android Bot” tool last year that let you dress up your own bot with clothing and accessories, but it was limited. The company has a new tool now, though, and it’s anything but.
Also: I tried every new AI feature on the Google Pixel 10 series – my thoughts as an AI expert
The new Androidify app lets you make your own bot avatar, but it does so based on your own photo or text prompt, meaning it has an incredibly deep level of customization.
Google says the app uses a combination of tools to create your bot — Gemini 2.5 Flash to caption the photo, Imagen to generate your custom Android bot, and Veo 3 to animate your bot with different vibes.
I made my own Androidify bot
I tried several photos and quickly found how fun it was to see what the output looked like. I had the most success with a Halloween selfie from last year where I was wearing a Ghostbusters jumpsuit and proton pack. My Android bot (green, of course) had his own tan jumpsuit, proton pack, and even a version of the “no-ghost” logo on his sleeve.
The details weren’t perfect, but the overall vibe was very fun. I tried several more unique photos, and each one came out just as good.
Also: Your Gemini app just got a major AI image editing upgrade – for free
I wasn’t quite able to get the same level of detail from the text prompt no matter how specific I was, but the prompt bots still captured the feeling pretty well.
How to make your own Androidify bot
To make your own bot, download the Androidify app (you can also use the browser version).
You can choose between using a photo as the basis for your bot or a text prompt to describe what you want.
Also: Did Google just give us the ultimate AI photo-editing tool? I tested it on the Pixel, and hard agree
If you go the photo route, you can either take a photo or pick one from your gallery. Choosing from your gallery is a bit more fun because you can choose a photo with accessories or a unique outfit, which the app will replicate.
It’s better to choose a photo with one person because you don’t get to pick which one you want. If there are multiple people, the app will either pick one person or create a strange mashup of the two people, like it did with a photo of me and my daughter (it took my hair and facial hair and slapped it on a bot wearing her dress).
Also: I used Google’s photo-to-video AI tool on my selfie – and it made me do the tango
Once you pick your photo and tap “Transform,” the app gets to work creating your bot. When your bot is done, you can choose from several formats — a large phone wallpaper, a banner, a sticker, or a 3:1 size that would serve as a social media cover photo. From there, you’ll choose your background from one of 15 choices.