Pulse · Android · install guide v0.1.0

Install Pulse for Android

v0.1.0 · 2 minutes · sideload from GitHub

A signed APK, five steps, and a one-time toggle in Android settings. The first launch surfaces a model picker and downloads the chosen Ollama weights to the device.

Before you start

What you'll need

Four prerequisites. None of them require a developer account or a USB cable.

  • Android 8.0 (API 26) or later. The package targets API 36 and sets the minimum to 26. Phones on Android 7.x or earlier cannot install it.
  • About 30 MB of free storage. The APK is 1.29 MB. Local model weights download separately and need 1–3 GB depending on the chosen model.
  • "Install unknown apps" enabled for the browser or file manager. Android 8 blocks sideloaded APKs by default. The toggle is per-app, not global.
  • Wi-Fi or mobile data for the initial model download. The APK is small. The first-run model pull is the larger transfer. After that, Pulse works offline.
Step 1 of 5 · 30 seconds

Download the APK

The release page carries a single signed APK per version. The link works on the phone itself or on a desktop with a USB transfer later.

Open the Android download page on the phone and grab the latest signed APK. The file name is pulse-notes-0.1.0.apk. The SHA-256 fingerprint is printed on the download page; adb shell sha256sum on the file reproduces the value if the device is reachable over USB.

Open Android download → v0.1.0

Step 2 of 5 · 45 seconds

Allow unknown sources

Android blocks sideloaded APKs by default. The toggle is per-app and lives in two different places depending on the Android version.

  1. 2.1

    Open Settings → Apps → Special access → Install unknown apps.

    On Android 12 and newer the path is Settings → Apps → Special apps → Install unknown apps. On Android 8 through 11 the path is Settings → Apps & notifications → Advanced → Special access → Install unknown apps.

  2. 2.2

    Pick the browser or file manager that opened the APK.

    Toggle Allow from this source on. Chrome, Files, and a USB-transferred file from a desktop each show up as separate entries.

Step 3 of 5 · 15 seconds

Open the APK file

Android surfaces the package details screen with the app name, version, and the permissions the package will request.

Tap the downloaded pulse-notes-0.1.0.apk in the notification shade or in Files → Downloads. Android shows the package screen with the Pulse icon, the version number, and a list of requested permissions (storage, microphone for voice input, network for the model download). The screen asks for confirmation before the package is installed.

Step 4 of 5 · 15 seconds

Install

One tap. Under ten seconds on a modern phone. No reboot.

  1. 4.1

    Tap Install at the bottom of the package screen.

    A progress bar fills the lower edge of the screen. The install runs in under ten seconds on a modern SSD-class storage phone.

  2. 4.2

    Tap Open when the bar reaches 100%.

    Pulse launches into a one-time setup wizard. The icon also lands on the home screen with the launcher name Pulse.

Step 5 of 5 · 30 seconds + model download

Pick a model

On first launch, Pulse prompts for the local Ollama model. The choice is the largest transfer of the day and the only network call after install.

Three model profiles appear in the first-launch wizard:

  • High-end phone (4+ GB free RAM). gemma3:4b · ~3 GB weights · the same default shipped on Windows.
  • Mid-range phone (2–4 GB free RAM). qwen2.5:3b · ~2 GB weights · faster first-token, lower quality.
  • Low-end phone (1–2 GB free RAM). qwen2.5:1.5b · ~1 GB weights · usable but slow on long contexts.

The wizard reopens from Settings → AI → Model setup at any time. The Windows model picker shares the same Ollama endpoint pattern; see the Windows install guide for the desktop workflow.

Visual reference

What Pulse looks like on Android

Three captures from the v0.1.0 build: the launcher icon at the densities Android ships, the icon mockup on a home-screen background, and the launch splash.

  • Pulse app icon shown across three Android launcher sizes on a Tokyo Night background

    Pulse on the home screen — three launcher sizes from a single adaptive icon.

  • Pulse launch splash screen in portrait orientation, dark background with the Pulse wordmark

    Splash on launch — fades into the home screen after the first model is loaded.

  • Pulse app icon at xxxhdpi density, 192 by 192 pixels

    Adaptive icon at xxxhdpi (192×192) — the highest density Android ships.

Security

Verify the signature

The APK is signed with a release key. The fingerprint is on the release page; the device shows the same one after install.

Troubleshooting

Common issues

Four problems that come up most often during a sideload install, and the fix for each.

  • Install blocked. Android blocks the install because the browser or file manager is not in the Install unknown apps list. Open Settings → Apps → Special access → Install unknown apps and toggle on the app that opened the APK. The path differs by Android version: see Step 2 above.
  • App not installed. Usually a signature conflict with a previous sideload of Pulse under a different signing key. Uninstall the old package from Settings → Apps → Pulse → Uninstall first, then install the new APK. The app data in /data/data/app.pulse.notes/ is removed with the package.
  • Opens then crashes. Usually no model loaded. Pulse prompts for a model on first launch; if the download was cancelled or the connection dropped, the app shows an error screen on next start. Reopen the wizard from Settings → AI → Model setup and pick a model again. See the Windows install guide for the model picker UX.
  • Where is the model downloaded? Model weights live in Pulse's private app data at /data/data/app.pulse.notes/files/ollama/. The folder is not visible to other apps and is removed when the package is uninstalled. No system-wide Ollama install is required on Android.
After install

Next

Three follow-up links from the same dark Tokyo Night surface.

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