Snapchat is one of the most popular social media apps, allowing users to send photo and video messages that disappear after being viewed. In recent years, Snapchat has incorporated more artificial intelligence (AI) features into its apps, like augmented reality lenses and games. One of the biggest AI developments has been the launch of Snapchat’s conversational AI chatbot feature called My AI. This virtual assistant can have natural conversations and recommend content based on user preferences. However, My AI is currently only available on iOS, leaving Android users wondering if and when it will come to their devices.
The My AI feature on iOS
Snapchat first previewed its My AI chatbot in December 2021, describing it as an “experimental conversational AI” to enhance the Snapchat experience. After months of testing, My AI officially rolled out to iOS users in the United States in October 2022.
My AI aims to have personalized conversations with users based on their interests and preferences. You can chat with it directly within the Snapchat app like a friend. Some key features and capabilities of My AI include:
- Recommending content like stories, lenses, games, etc. tailored specifically for you
- Planning activities and making recommendations based on your location, time of day, weather, and interests
- Providing creative inspiration for Snapchat content and caption ideas
- Having chat conversations covering various topics like music, sports, news, etc.
- Telling jokes and having casual fun chats
The My AI algorithm uses natural language processing to understand user inputs and have coherent, context-appropriate conversations. It learns and improves over time based on your chatting history. Overall, My AI aims to provide users with an engaging, interactive Snapchat experience personalized to their interests and habits.
Is My AI coming to Android?
As of October 2022, Snapchat has not officially announced plans to launch My AI for Android devices. The feature remains exclusive to iOS for the time being. However, Android availability seems likely based on a few key factors:
- High Android user base – There are over 1 billion active Android users globally, representing a massive user base Snapchat will want to provide AI features to.
- Precedent of cross-platform launches – Features like Snapchat lenses and Spotlight have generally launched across both iOS and Android together.
- Company statements hinting at expansion – Snapchat has said My AI is still in its “early stages” and they plan to “continue to iterate based on feedback.”
During their Q3 2022 earnings call, Snapchat’s CEO also referenced AI as an important priority. While he did not directly confirm My AI for Android, he said they are focused on “building an AI-powered engine to empower new augmented reality experiences.”
So while not outright confirmed yet, Snapchat is clearly investing heavily in AI. As a key product feature, it seems unlikely My AI will remain iOS-exclusive forever. Porting it over to Android likely involves underlying technical challenges to optimize performance, but makes sense from a product perspective.
Possible timeline for My AI on Android
It’s challenging to predict an exact timeline, but we can make some educated guesses on when My AI could launch on Android based on typical product cycles:
- End of 2022 – Unlikely, given iOS only October 2022 launch. Not enough testing time.
- First half of 2023 – Possible, but may be aggressive given large user base.
- Second half of 2023 – More reasonable guess. Allows 12+ months of iOS testing before Android launch.
- 2024 and beyond – Cannot be ruled out if technical issues arise. But late 2023 seems reasonable target.
Considering Snapchat’s priority on AI development and precedent for cross-platform releases, launching My AI on Android in the second half of 2023 (over a year after iOS) seems like a reasonable prediction.
Why developing for Android takes time
You may wonder why My AI is not available on both platforms simultaneously. There are a few key reasons building AI for Android takes extra development time:
- Device fragmentation – So many different Android phones with varying specs and software versions makes optimization harder.
- API differences – iOS and Android system libraries for things like machine learning differ, requiring reworking models.
- Testing scale – Android’s enormous user base makes testing complex features challenging.
- Performance – Running advanced AI smoothly requires optimization across many Android chipsets/processors.
These factors mean launching sophisticated AI like My AI across iOS and Android together is very difficult. Given Android’s enormous variety, extra development and testing time is prudent.
How to get My AI early on Android
Eager Android users wondering how they might be able to get access to My AI sooner do have some options:
- Beta testing – Snapchat sometimes allows users to beta test upcoming features early by signing up. Check their sites for any My AI testing announcements.
- Developer mode – Android phones allow sideloading apps outside the Play Store. Developer builds sometimes leak ahead of official launches.
- iOS device – Acquiring an iOS device even temporarily would allow accessing My AI before Android.
- Wait – Unfortunately easiest option is to remain patient for the official Android launch.
Sideloading developer APKs does violate Snapchat’s terms and may get accounts banned. So beta testing or temporary iOS access are the best options for early My AI experimentation.
Conclusion
Here are the key takeaways on whether Snapchat’s AI chatbot My AI is coming to Android devices:
- My AI launched on iOS in October 2022 but is not yet available for Android.
- Given Snapchat’s AI priorities and history of cross-platform releases, an Android launch seems very likely.
- A release in the second half of 2023 seems a reasonable prediction timeline.
- Developing My AI for Android’s device diversity takes more time than iOS.
- Eager users can look for beta tests or temporary iOS access to try My AI before Android.
While not confirmed officially yet, an Android launch for My AI in late 2023 seems probable. The wait should be worth it for Android users to also get access to Snapchat’s cool new conversational AI assistant tailored to their interests. My AI on both major mobile platforms will be a big step towards Snapchat’s vision for an AI-powered social experience.