Generative AI is revolutionizing the tech world, and its impact on mobile apps is undeniable. Google's recent advancements in generative AI models have opened up new possibilities for creating intelligent, conversational interfaces in mobile applications. In this article, we'll explore how to integrate the Gemini API into an Expo React Native mobile chat app.
Before diving in, generate a Gemini API key in Google AI Studio and familiarize yourself with the complete source code available on GitHub.
Building the Backend
To make calls to the Gemini API, we need a backend service. We'll use FastAPI and WebSocket to facilitate this process. Install the required dependencies, including the Google Generative AI library, and add your generated Gemini API key to a .env file in the project folder.
The main.py file sets up the FastAPI WebSocket server to accept messages, send them to the Gemini API, and stream the response back over the WebSocket. You can update the prompt as needed and test different prompts to see what gives you the best output. Reference the Prompt Strategies section of the Google AI docs for additional information.
Setting Up the Mobile App
To create our React Native mobile app, we'll use Expo and its create-expo-app utility to bootstrap a TypeScript version. Install the required dependencies using expo install, which will ensure that versions compatible with the current expo version are used.
Update your App.tsx file to set up a basic chat interface, which sets up the WebSocket connection to our backend, persists previous messages, and renders the Markdown responses.
The App component uses the GiftedChat library to render the conversation interface and the Markdown library to display the AI-generated responses. The component also persists previous messages in AsyncStorage and updates the chat interface when new messages are received from the backend.
With these steps, you'll have a fully functional AI-powered mobile chat app that leverages the Gemini API and React Native.