Getting Started with Arc: Your AI Assistant for Android

If you’ve ever wished your phone could just tell you what matters instead of making you read through walls of text, Arc is built for you. In this guide, we’ll walk you through setting up Arc and using its core features.

What is Arc?

Arc is an AI-powered assistant that lives on top of every app on your Android phone. Instead of switching between apps to copy text, open a browser, or ask an AI — Arc brings intelligence directly to whatever you’re doing, powered by Google Gemini.

Think of it as a smart layer on top of your phone that can:

• Summarize anything on your screen — or listen aloud via AI Read
• Extract events, deadlines, contacts, meeting links, locations, and even verification codes (OTP)
• Chat with AI about what you’re reading, using your screen as context
• Write replies in four modes: Rewrite, Fix Grammar, Reply, and Create Post
• Create flashcards from any content and study them in a swipeable viewer
• Analyze call recordings to get transcripts, summaries, and action items
• Save content to your library with optional screenshots
• Run custom AI actions you create, or browse 250 community actions

Setting Up Arc

Getting started takes about two minutes:

1. Install from Google Play

Download Arc from the Google Play Store and open the app. Arc supports Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and above.

2. Grant Permissions

Arc needs two permissions to work:

• Accessibility Service — This lets Arc read the text on your screen so it can summarize and extract information.
• Overlay Permission — This lets Arc display its floating sidebar on top of other apps.

Both permissions are used solely for Arc’s features and can be revoked at any time.

3. Complete the Tutorial

Arc walks you through a quick interactive tutorial with four pages:

1. Meet Your AI Companion — learn the sidebar swipe gesture
2. Create Your Own AI Actions — see how custom actions work
3. Discover Community Actions — enable popular actions from day one
4. AI Call Insights — learn about call recording analysis

After the tutorial, you’ll try Arc in a quick demo before entering the main app.

4. Choose Your Sidebar Mode

Arc offers two ways to access its features:

• Arc Sidebar (default) — Arc’s own floating sidebar that sits on the edge of your screen.
• System Sidebar — Integrates with your device’s native sidebar (Samsung Edge Panel, OnePlus Shelf, OPPO Smart Sidebar, and others). Choose this if you prefer using your phone’s built-in sidebar.

You can switch between modes anytime in Settings → Sidebar Settings.

Your First Summary

Here’s the fastest way to see Arc in action:

1. Open any article in your browser or an email in your mail app
2. Swipe inward from the Arc floating bar on the edge of your screen
3. Tap AI Summary
4. Watch as Arc reads the screen and generates a concise summary

The summary highlights the key points, so you can decide in seconds whether the content is worth a deeper read. You can save it, share it, listen to it via text-to-speech, or ask follow-up questions.

Set Up Your Info Vault

Before using AI Writer, take a moment to set up your Info Vault (Settings → My Info Vault). Add items like:

• “About me” — a brief description of who you are
• “My role” — your job title and responsibilities
• “Writing preferences” — your preferred tone and style

AI Writer pulls from your vault automatically to personalize drafts, so you don’t have to repeat yourself in every prompt.

Control Where Arc Appears

Arc works across every app by default, but you can customize this. Go to Settings → Choose Apps to enable or disable Arc on a per-app basis. Arc stays completely hidden in apps where you turn it off.

What’s Next?

Now that you’re set up, explore these powerful features:

• Smart Extract — Pull out events, deadlines, contacts, and OTPs automatically
• AI Writer — Draft replies in four modes with tone and length options
• Call Insights — Turn call recordings into transcripts and action items
• Custom Actions & Community — Create your own AI workflows or browse 250 community actions

Arc is designed to save you time on every screen. The more you use it, the more you’ll wonder how you managed without it.