- Google Messages is testing the Nano Banana AI image generator
- Nano Banana will likely create and edit photos 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 coming to the Messages app, according to code (and an invisible banana button) found by Android police. It looks like users will be able to edit and possibly produce images with Nano Banana (part of Gemini 2.5 Flash) directly in chats on the app.
The banana-shaped icon that appears when an image is long-pressed inside a message thread is currently dormant. Still, it’s likely to come sooner rather than later as Google continues to expand Nano Banana’s presence in its apps.
The AI image model has already been rolled out to NotebookLM and Search through Google Lens, with plans for Google Photos already announced. Messages may be next, and if the pattern holds, it won’t be the last.
Nano Banana’s role in Messages is still vague, but the sleeping icon’s placement that appears inside the toolbar after long-pressing an image is notable. The placement suggests more focus on editing existing images rather than creating new ones from a written prompt. That could mean anything from filters and image cleaning to outright meme-ification, all easily done by Nano Banana, presumably through quick requests or a menu of standardized choices.
Imagine taking a blurry photo of your dinner, long-pressing on it, tapping the banana icon, and asking for a “mouthwatering food blog-style photo.” Or respond to a friend’s awkward selfie with a version that shows a Tyrannosaurus Rex photobombing them.
Message memes
Google’s interest in embedding Nano Banana and other AI tools everywhere makes this very move a seamless operation. Google claims that 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 widely used AI imaging tool in no time.
However, this does not mean that there is no competition. Meta AI powers image generation in WhatsApp and Messenger, while Apple has customized emoji and image generation for iMessage. Even Snapchat has made AI image tools central to its product.
It’s not clear 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 the invisible banana.
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