Nano Banana trends push Gemini to lead position on Apple, Google app stores

Use of Google's image generation model Nano Banana for 3D figurine, retro saree portraits, and celebrity edits has propelled Gemini to the number one spot on Apple and Google app stores in India

Google’s Nano Banana image generation model seems to have made its Gemini app move on top of the charts in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Soon after its introduction on August 25, Indian users hopped on the trend to create 3D figurines, 90s-style saree pictures, and Polaroid photos with celebrities. The concept of image generation was not new, as OpenAI was catering to that use case as well. However, Nano Banana’s attention to detail and the ability to recreate images to the likeness of people is what caught everyone’s eyes. 

 

Suddenly, the trend of OpenAI’s Ghibli images became old news, and people seem to have moved to Gemini. A few weeks ago, the number one spot in the list of free apps was held by OpenAI. However, the tables have turned, and Gemini is standing at that spot now. 

 

For the unaware, Nano Banana is the name for Google DeepMind’s latest AI-powered image generation and editing feature inside the Gemini app. It can create visuals from text, edit and merge photos, and keep subjects like people or pets consistent across multiple edits.

Google Gemini climbs the charts

According to the statistics recorded on App Figures, a tracking and reporting platform for apps, just one day before the launch of the Nano Banana model (August 24), Gemini stood at the 35th rank in top apps in Apple App Store, and 73rd rank in Google Play Store in the “Top Apps” category. 

 

On the day of launch (August 25), the Google Gemini app climbed up to the 29th spot in the App Store and the 72nd spot in the Play Store. By the end of the month, it was at the 15th rank in the App Store, whereas it fell to the 82nd spot on the Play Store. Soon after, when the Nano Banana model started to trend because of its ability to make 3D figurines and vintage saree pictures, the app started climbing the charts like anything. 

 

By September 8, Google Gemini was at the sixth spot in the Top Apps category on the Apple App Store, and 47th on the Google Play Store. Since September 13, it has maintained its position as the number one app in the Top Apps category in the App Store. As for Play Store, Gemini climbed up to the top on September 14 and since then, it has maintained its position. 

 

The hype was so real that Google India made a post on X saying that India now stands as one of the leading countries for Nano Banana right now. Its September 16 post on X read: “Happy to share that all this creativity has made India one of the leading countries for Nano Banana right now- and you've even taken the Gemini app to #1 in Play Store and App store!”

How is Nano Banana model adding value to people’s lives

This model is not just creating visuals, but it is catering to the wishes of the people, including wishes that they normally couldn’t fulfill on their own. Grown-ups who still miss their childhood have done the impossible with this model. They started creating pictures of their adult selves hugging their child versions. 

 

The people who aren’t exactly well-off are using Gemini’s Nano Banana model to create pictures for their pre-wedding shoots. The people whose parents are no more are using this tool to create a picture of themselves with their parents. These things may be possible to do in real life, but requires knowledge of multimedia editing tools and softwares. With the help of technology, it is now possible to do in fraction of seconds and that could be one of the reasons it has become such a huge success nowadays.