Nano Banana is the popular name for Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, 📝Google's native image generation and editing model, released August 26, 2025 and later extended into a family including Nano Banana Pro and Nano Banana 2.
Built into 📝Gemini rather than bolted on as a separate image model, Nano Banana could edit a photo from a plain-language instruction while keeping a person's likeness consistent across edits. The model began as an anonymous entry on public image-model leaderboards under the codename "nano-banana," and Google kept the name after launch as it drove a wave of viral edits and new Gemini app users. Google followed it with Nano Banana Pro, built on Gemini 3 Pro, in November 2025, and Nano Banana 2, built on Gemini 3.1 Flash, in February 2026.
Key Facts
- Developer: 📝DeepMind (Google DeepMind)
- Model ID:
gemini-2.5-flash-image - Released: August 26, 2025
- API shutdown: October 2, 2026, with Nano Banana 2 (
gemini-3.1-flash-image) as the replacement - Successors: Nano Banana Pro (
gemini-3-pro-image, November 20, 2025) and Nano Banana 2 (February 26, 2026) - Status as of: September 28, 2026
FAQ
What is Nano Banana?
Nano Banana is Google's nickname for Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, an image generation and editing model built into Gemini that edits images from plain-language instructions.
Why is it called Nano Banana?
"nano-banana" was the anonymous codename the model used on public comparison leaderboards before launch, and Google adopted it as the product's public name.
What replaced Nano Banana?
Nano Banana 2, built on Gemini 3.1 Flash, is Google's recommended replacement; the original model's API shuts down on October 2, 2026.
Related
- 📝Gemini Model Glossary — every Gemini, Gemma, image, video, and audio model