- Google Messages tests Nano Banana AI image generator
- Nano Banana will likely create and edit images directly in chats
- The app has a hidden banana icon that appears on long presses on the image.
Google’s Nano Banana AI image maker is on its way to the Messages app, according to code (and an invisible banana button) found by Android font. It appears that users will be able to edit and eventually produce images with Nano Banana (part of Gemini 2.5 Flash) directly in the app’s chats.
The banana icon that appears when long-pressing an image in a thread is currently asleep. Still, it will likely happen sooner rather than later as Google continues to expand Nano Banana’s presence in its apps.
The AI image model has already been deployed to NotebookLM and Search via Google Lens, and plans for Google Photos have already been announced. The posts may be next, and if the trend continues, it won’t be the last.
Nano Banana’s role in Messages is still vague, but the location of the sleeping icon, appearing in the toolbar after a long press on an image, is notable. The placement suggests focusing more on editing existing images rather than creating new ones from a written prompt. This could mean anything from filters and image cleanup to outright memoization, all easily accomplished by Nano Banana, likely via quick queries or a menu of standardized choices.
Imagine taking a blurry photo of your dinner, long-pressing it, tapping the banana icon, and asking for a “mouth-watering food blog-style photo.” Or responding to a friend’s awkward selfie with a version showing a Tyrannosaurus Rex photo-bombing him.
Message Memes
Google’s interest in integrating Nano Banana and other AI tools everywhere makes this decision a no-brainer. Google says Nano Banana has already been used to create more than five billion images. But so many people already use Google Messages that Nano Banana could become the most used AI imaging tool in an instant.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t competition, though. Meta AI promotes image generation in WhatsApp and Messenger, while Apple offers custom emoji and image generation for iMessage. Even Snapchat has put AI image tools at the heart of its product.
It’s unclear when Nano Banana will be in Messages, but you can always try using the new Nano Banana-enabled camera gear while you wait to tap that invisible banana.
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