Picture this: your smartphone is equipped with a revolutionary camera feature that can transform a simple photo into an extraordinary creation—whether it’s snapping a selfie on a sandy beach beside a celebrity in a playful hat or morphing your selfies into striking 3D action figures. This is all made possible by Nano Banana, a cutting-edge image editing model integrated within Google’s Gemini app. In this guide, we will explore how to access and utilize this innovative tool through the Google Gemini app and Google Lens.
Understanding Nano Banana in Google Gemini
It’s important to clarify that there isn’t a standalone feature or button labeled as ‘Nano Banana’ within the Gemini app. Instead, this term refers to the ‘Google 2.5 Flash Image’, a sophisticated text-to-image prompt system that has garnered attention since its inception on LMArena, an AI testing platform. The playful ‘banana’ moniker quickly became a trend, especially after the Gemini app hit remarkable milestones, including over 10 million downloads and 200 million edited images as of September 2025.
While image editing tools have existed for quite some time, the enhancements within Nano Banana set it apart from the crowd. This model excels in natural language editing and offers several remarkable capabilities:
- Sequential Image Edits: Users can easily add, remove, or alter specific elements within a photo without disturbing the entire background.
- Subject Uniformity: Ensures consistent representation of characters and objects across different edits.
- Multi-Image Composition: Seamlessly combines multiple images to create a cohesive style.
- Small Iterative Refinements: Fine-tuning images with a series of minor prompts for the ideal result.
- Multimodal Design: Applies contextual reasoning to integrate text or logos into designated areas of an image.
Nano Banana has propelled the Gemini app to the top of the App Store rankings. For Android users, Gemini is deeply embedded within the system, although opting out remains straightforward.
Steps to Use Nano Banana in Google Gemini App (Android/iOS)
To leverage Nano Banana in the Google Gemini app on both Android and iOS platforms, follow these simple steps:
- Log in to the Google Gemini app using your Gmail account. If you had previously disabled the service, re-enable it and ensure that the default mode, Gemini 2.5 Flash, is activated.
- Tap the + icon to upload images from your camera (like taking a selfie), your device’s image gallery, files, or Google Drive.
- Agree to the copyright prompt to avoid any legal complications; images taken with your own camera are typically safe.
Here’s an example showcasing the multi-image composition feature of Nano Banana. The model is instructed to transfer a coffee cup from one image to an empty table in another, demonstrating the precision of this editing tool. After a brief waiting period for image generation, the coffee cup is successfully integrated into the new background without affecting other elements. The AI-created image will carry a non-erasable SynthID watermark from Google DeepMind, ensuring authenticity. Users can make additional edits, like replacing the coffee cup with another item or adjusting other design elements.
Integrating Nano Banana with Google Lens and AI Mode in Google Search
Beyond the Gemini app, Nano Banana is also available through Google Lens and the AI mode in Google Search. Currently, this feature is rolling out to select regions, including the United States and India, with broader availability expected soon.
To use Nano Banana with Google Lens, follow these steps:
- Open the Google Search app on your mobile device and select the Google Lens option to activate your camera. Look for the banana icon labeled Create.
- Upon selecting Create, the camera shutter button will change to resemble a banana icon, allowing for creative selfie transformations, such as crafting superhero 3D avatars. Nano Banana will then prompt you for suggestions.
- Google Lens can also work with photos and videos stored on your device. Ensure you grant Google Search access to your private images temporarily.
Once you select an image from your gallery, such as a Weizen beer glass, you will enter Google’s AI mode, where you can enter prompts to alter the uploaded image creatively. For instance, instructing the app to “place the image in a bar” allows you to test the multimodal design capabilities of Nano Banana.
The AI mode may take a few moments to process your request, but once completed, your final image will be ready, featuring a unique background and a clear, non-erasable SynthID watermark.
The Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, also known as Nano Banana, represents a significant leap in the field of AI image editing. It showcases an unprecedented ability to create realistic images through advanced technology. There’s potential for Google to expand the availability of Nano Banana to more applications, such as Google Photos, which will further enhance user creativity.
However, the remarkable realism of AI-generated content raises important ethical considerations. It is crucial for users to remain informed and vigilant in detecting AI-generated materials in articles and online content to navigate the evolving landscape of digital media responsibly.
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