- Google's Gemini app surpasses ChatGPT with Nano Banana AI image-editing feature
- Nano Banana allows free editing of up to 100 photos daily, more with subscription
- Over 500 million photos edited via Nano Banana since its launch last month
Google's Gemini app has surpassed OpenAI's ChatGPT, courtesy of the new image-editing function called Nano Banana AI. It also dominates the App Store and Google Play Store in India.
The Nano Banana model, also known as the Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, has triggered a social media frenzy ever since it can transform regular photos into stylised creative artworks, vintage portraits, or extremely polished 3D figures.
You can create or edit up to 100 pictures per day for free using this tool with the desired prompts. However, you can utilise Nano Banana to create or edit 1,000 photos if you have a Gemini AI Pro or Ultra subscription.
Since its launch last month, Google has reported that more than 500 million photos have been altered using Nano Banana.
The Gemini app reportedly saw over 23 million new users between August 26 and September 9, an increase that clearly illustrates how rapidly image-editing AI technologies may spur widespread adoption.
Gemini reportedly holds the top spot in India at the moment on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It is also the top-ranked free app in the US App Store. According to reports, the app is ranked second in both Canada and the UK.
As a result, ChatGPT has fallen in the rankings after dominating earlier due to its own viral "Ghibli AI" trend.
After DeepSeek, Gemini is one of the few AI chatbot applications to unseat OpenAI's ChatGPT, which has long dominated app store rankings worldwide. The recent spike in Gemini users further demonstrates how the use of AI-powered apps is being propelled by viral phenomena.
Celebrities and normal people are not the only ones who have adopted the trend of AI-powered photos; politicians have also done so. Goa CM Pramod Sawant followed suit after Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma shared his 3D figurine on X (formerly Twitter).
Google Gemini's Nano Banana feature has helped spread a new "Hug My Younger Self" craze on social media. This AI model is being used to produce adorable Polaroid-style pictures of the current self hugging the younger self.
The user might try adding more information to the prompt if the outcome is not what they were hoping for. The fad, which combines creativity and nostalgia, has enabled people to recreate themselves in a touching moment.
