Google’s Gemini app just scored a major win over the last few days by surpassing ChatGPT to become the most downloaded app on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. The huge milestone is one most of us in the industry saw coming, and it was a matter of if, but when.
I recently sat down with David Sharon, Multimodal Generation Lead for Gemini Apps, to talk about all things Gemini, including Nano Banana’s runaway success. One big question I had: why does Google limit users to just five free chat prompts, but give away 100 free image generations? Sharon’s answer was simple — Google is meeting users where the demand is.
And that demand couldn’t be clearer. Nano Banana has struck a chord because people want to create images, not just chat. In my recent tests, Nano Banana beat ChatGPT-5 and Midjourney for the best image generators.
Both a productivity tool and entertaining, the model, known as Gemini 2.5 Flash, can turn photos into toy-like 3D figurines, apply dramatic style transfers or remix everyday snapshots into something new and shareable. Best of all, it doesn’t require expert prompting, meaning anyone can jump in and get results in seconds. Based on the number of app downloads, it seems like "everyone" already has.
Why Nano Banana is blowing up
Made it to no.1 in the App Store. Congrats to the @GeminiApp team for all their hard work, and this is just the start, so much more to come! https://t.co/GbSDPX64mYSeptember 13, 2025
Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder & CEO of Google’s DeepMind, called it “just the start” in a recent post on X.
According to Google and confirmed in my meeting with David Sharon, more than 500 million images have already been created with Nano Banana, and the app has picked up tens of millions of new users in just a few weeks. The feature has gone viral on social platforms because it’s:
- Accessible: You don’t need expert prompting to get good results.
- Visual and fun: Turning a selfie or sketch into a figurine is instantly shareable.
- Fast: The model runs quickly enough that edits feel playful, not tedious.
It’s a reminder that one well-designed feature can completely change the trajectory of an app. Like Hassabis, Google's David Sharon also iterated that there is more on the horizon, while emphasizing safety measures, including extensive safety testing.
How I tested Nano Banana
I couldn’t resist trying it out myself, especially on my kids’ artwork. We usually stick their doodles to the fridge, but with Nano Banana, I turned them into collectibles. The results were better than I expected. Here are some of the prompts I have used to create fun images, and I encourage you to give them a try:
“Turn this drawing into a collectible 3D figurine.”
“Make this family photo look like a Wes Anderson movie scene.”
“Transform this pet photo into a fantasy portrait with castles and dragons.”
“Style-transfer this vacation photo into a retro postcard.”
“Combine two drawings into a single toy-box diorama.”
The best part overall is that Nano Banana managed to keep the key details (faces, proportions, colors) consistent, even with heavy stylistic changes.
Why it matters
For Google, Nano Banana has raised the stakes for competitors. While ChatGPT is still the go-to tool for text and reasoning, Gemini’s momentum means we can probably see more from OpenAI, Midjourney, and others to respond with more creative tools.
I’ll admit, when I first tried Nano Banana, I didn’t expect to be impressed. But the model blew me away, making everyday creativity feel easy and accessible. And if one feature can help Gemini leapfrog ChatGPT in the app store, that says a lot about what users want right now.
If you haven't tried it yet, here's how to get started. Let me know how you like it in the comments!
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