Google's "Nano Banana" AI Model Expands to Search, Photos, and NotebookLM

Google is significantly expanding the reach of its advanced AI image generation and editing model, codenamed "Nano Banana," integrating it directly into Google Search, NotebookLM, and soon Google Photos. This move follows the model's success within the Gemini app, where it has already powered over 5 billion AI image edits since its August 2025 debut.

digit.in reported, The "Nano Banana" model, officially known as Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, enables users to generate and edit images with remarkable ease using natural language prompts. This integration aims to make sophisticated image manipulation accessible to a broader audience, moving beyond traditional complex editing software.

In Google Search, users can now leverage Nano Banana through Google Lens and AI Mode. This functionality allows for instant image transformation by taking or uploading photos and applying AI prompts, or generating entirely new visuals from text descriptions.

androidguys.com noted, NotebookLM, Google's AI-powered research assistant, also receives a significant upgrade. Nano Banana will enhance its "Video Overviews" feature, enabling the creation of narrated videos from notes, complete with AI-generated visuals in various artistic styles.

Looking ahead, Google Photos is slated to be the next platform to incorporate Nano Banana's capabilities. This future integration promises to bring advanced generative editing tools, such as background filling and creative filters, directly into users' photo libraries.

toolify.ai reported, The rollout of Nano Banana in Search and NotebookLM began around October 13, 2025, initially available in English for users in the US and India. Google has indicated plans for further expansion to more countries and languages in the near future.

• Nano Banana, officially Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, was initially launched in August 2025 as part of the Gemini 2.5 Flash model. It quickly gained traction within the Gemini app and Google AI Studio for its ability to perform extensive image editing and generation through simple text-based prompts. Its core strength lies in understanding natural language commands for complex visual tasks.

• digit.in noted, The model's capabilities include maintaining character consistency across multiple edits, multi-turn editing, and seamless blending, allowing for realistic and polished image outputs without requiring manual masking or layer adjustments. This makes advanced image manipulation accessible to users without professional editing skills.

• In Google Search, Nano Banana is integrated via Google Lens and the AI Mode. Users can access a new 'Create' tab to either capture an image, select one from their gallery, or upload a photo, then use AI prompts to transform it. It also supports generating images from scratch using text prompts.

• androidguys.com reported, For NotebookLM, Nano Banana significantly upgrades the "Video Overviews" tool. This allows the AI to automatically generate contextual illustrations and visual styles, including Watercolor, Papercraft, Anime, Whiteboard, Retro Print, and Heritage, for narrated summaries of uploaded documents.

• Google Photos is confirmed to receive Nano Banana integration soon, which will introduce generative image tools directly into the app. This is expected to enable users to apply creative filters, fill backgrounds, and perform other advanced edits on their existing photo memories.

• toolify.ai noted, The rapid adoption of Nano Banana, with over 5 billion edits in the Gemini app and 200 million images generated/edited in under two weeks, highlights its popularity and the demand for intuitive AI image tools. This surge in usage has also prompted discussions regarding the strain on cloud infrastructure.

• To address concerns about digital authenticity and misinformation, Google embeds both an invisible and a visible watermark into images generated or edited by Nano Banana. This feature allows for tracking image usage and helps in debunking claims of images being real when they are AI-generated.