Google Photos Gets Nano Banana, More

Google announced a major update to Google Photos, with nice improvements across Android, iPhone, and the web versions of the service.

“AI features in Google Photos already help you do more with your memories: Edit photos with a simple ask, get creative and reimagine images in new styles, search and ask complex questions and so much more,” Google senior director Yael Marzan writes. “And now, we’re improving our AI-powered tools and adding new ones — including multiple features powered by Gemini’s top-rated image editing model, Nano Banana.”

Here’s what’s new.

Help me edit. This new feature lets you use a prompt to describe how you want to edit a photo and then Google Photos will just make it happen. This is a classic use-case for AI in that it saves you time by accomplishing tasks without first needing to master complex tools.

Ask Photos. Already available on Android, this feature is now on iPhone along with the redesigned photo editor. It lets you edit photos with your voice, along with simple gestures and one-tap suggestions. And it’s now available in over 100 countries in 17 new languages.

Nano Banana. Google’s incredible photo-to-video model is now available in Google Photos so you can transform still images into short videos.

AI templates. Google Photos now includes a Create with AI section on Android in the U.S. and India that provides ready-made templates to help get you started without having to think up a creative prompt. “These new templates are powered by Nano Banana and will help you create images instantly based on popular edits,” Google says, “like ‘put me in a high fashion photoshoot,’ ‘create a professional headshot,’ or ‘put me in a winter holiday card’.”

Ask button. This new button appears while viewing an image and gives you a quick way to start a conversation to get answers about the image, discover related images, and describe the edits you want.