On this page
You can run a DeepSeek model on your Android phone itself, so your questions never reach DeepSeek’s servers. Off Grid AI Mobile (OGAM) is a free, open-source app that downloads DeepSeek R1’s smaller “distilled” models and runs them on the phone, with no account and no internet after the download. The catch is size. The full DeepSeek model is far too big for a phone, so the one you run is smaller and won’t answer as well as the DeepSeek app.
What does the DeepSeek app do with your chats?
DeepSeek’s privacy policy, last updated 10 February 2026, says:
- It stores your personal data in the People’s Republic of China.
- It uses what you type, including prompts, uploaded files and chat content, to train and improve its models.
- You can opt out of training, but only by emailing [email protected]. There’s no switch in the app.
The model weights are a different story. DeepSeek publishes them openly under the MIT licence, so anyone can run them on their own hardware, and then nothing is sent to DeepSeek at all.
Which DeepSeek model fits your phone?
DeepSeek’s newest model, V4.1 Flash, has more than 500 billion parameters (model card). No phone can hold it. What fits are the R1 distills: smaller Qwen models that DeepSeek trained on R1’s step-by-step reasoning. They think out loud before they answer, the way R1 does.
OGAM’s search only offers files that fit your phone’s RAM, and marks the ones that only just fit as Tight. With the Q4_K_M files from Hugging Face:
| Your phone’s RAM | DeepSeek model | Download | In OGAM search |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 GB | R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B | 1.1 GB | Runs well |
| 8 GB | R1 Distill Qwen 7B | 4.7 GB | Tight |
| 12 GB or more | R1 0528 Qwen3 8B or R1 Distill Qwen 7B | 5 GB / 4.7 GB | Runs well |
On an 8 GB phone the 7B shows as Tight and the 8B is Too big. On a 6 GB phone both are Too big. File sizes are from Hugging Face (1.5B, 7B, 8B), and the fit rules are explained in how to find AI models your Android phone can actually run. Android reports a little less RAM than the box says, so a phone near a limit can land one row down.
How to run DeepSeek on your Android phone
You need OGAM from Google Play and Wi-Fi or data for the download.
- Install OGAM and open it.
- Tap Models in the bottom bar and stay on the Text tab.
- Tap Search models and type
deepseek r1. You can also tap the sliders icon, open Org and pick DeepSeek. - Tap a DeepSeek R1 Distill result. Under Sizes, pick Recommended, the best file for your phone.
- Tap download. Downloads keep going if you switch apps.
- Tap Chat now and ask your first question.
From here it runs on the phone. OGAM picks the fastest backend your phone supports: the Adreno GPU on recent Snapdragon chips, or the CPU. Turn on Airplane Mode and it still answers.
What to expect
- It thinks first. R1 distills write out their reasoning before the answer. That helps on maths and logic, but a simple question can take a while.
- It knows less. A 1.5B model is good for short reasoning, rewording and quick explanations. It gets facts wrong more often than the DeepSeek app, so check anything important.
- For everyday chat, try Qwen too. If you want quick answers without the long thinking, Qwen 3 4B (2.5 GB) is in OGAM’s catalog and fits an 8 GB phone.
- Speed depends on your chip. OGAM’s README puts flagship phones at 15 to 30 tokens a second on the CPU and 20 to 40 on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or newer GPU. Reasoning models spend many of those tokens thinking.
If something goes wrong
| Symptom | Check | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No DeepSeek 7B or 8B in search | Your phone’s RAM | Files over 62% of your RAM are Too big. Use the 1.5B on a 6 GB phone, or the 7B on 8 GB. |
| A Tight model fails to load | Other apps holding memory | Close heavy apps and try again, or pick the next size down. |
| Replies feel slow | Backend and reasoning length | Check the backend in Settings, ask shorter questions, or switch to Qwen 3 4B for everyday chat. |
| Garbled output on the NPU | NPU setting | The Hexagon NPU is experimental. Switch back to GPU or CPU in Settings. |
Need the full-size model?
The full DeepSeek V4.1 Flash won’t fit on any phone. Off Grid AI Boost runs open models like DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Qwen 3.8 on our own GPUs, with one API key for all of them, and we don’t store your prompts or train on them.
It’s one flat price from $4.99 a month for the first cohort ($9.99 regular), and that price holds for as long as you stay. Boost is a pre-order: your API key arrives in January 2027, and usage limits for each plan aren’t published yet. The Boost page says the same open models run in the Off Grid AI apps, and you choose where each one runs. Boost starts in January; pre-order to lock in half price.
FAQ
Can I run the real DeepSeek on an Android phone?
Not the full model. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash has more than 500 billion parameters. The R1 distills are official DeepSeek releases, built on Qwen and trained on R1’s reasoning, and they’re what fits a phone.
Is DeepSeek on my phone private with Off Grid AI?
Yes. The model runs on the phone. OGAM has no account, and your chats aren’t sent anywhere. You need internet only for the app and model downloads.
Is it free?
Yes. OGAM is free and open source, and DeepSeek’s weights are MIT licensed.
Is it as good as the DeepSeek app?
No. The app runs DeepSeek’s full model in a data centre. The model on your phone is a small fraction of that size, so expect simpler answers and more mistakes.
Can I use a bigger DeepSeek from my computer?
Yes, on the same network. Off Grid AI Desktop runs bigger DeepSeek models on a Mac or PC, and OGAM can use models on your computer over home Wi-Fi. See how to use AI models on your Mac from your Android phone.
Get OGAM on Google Play, search deepseek r1, and ask it something you wouldn’t type into the DeepSeek app.