It seems that Google wants you to look at Nano Banana, not Pixel Studio, after this patch
What you need to know
- The report claims that Google has started pulling back on what’s available in the Pixel Studio app as Nano Banana takes the lead.
- The latest Pixel Studio update is said to have removed its Gen AI features, and Google has reportedly confirmed that it will “redirect” users to the Nano Banana in the Gemini app.
- The Nano Banana 2 has just been unveiled, and Google says it will be the default image generator for users across its ecosystem.
Google is reportedly making changes to its Pixel Studio app, as the company looks to move people to other areas of its ecosystem.
The company rolled out the latest update later this week, and 9to5Google reports that it includes changes that reflect the drop in the Pixel Studio app. The publication says that opening Pixel Studio on a Pixel phone no longer offers the option to select AI-based photo editing tools. Specifically, it says that users have lost the ability to edit photos based on notifications, create stickers, and remove certain parts of a photo.
The post provides a brief discussion with Google about this, where the company confirms the changes. In addition, Google told the publication that it will “redirect” users from the Pixel Studio app to Nano Banana if they want to use Gen AI features and tools. Additionally, Google says it will provide “an easy export tool for all your creations.”
While this may seem like a big part of the Pixel Studio app’s purpose has been lost, Google adds that everything else will still work. The publication builds on this, highlighting that other tools available to users (crop, highlight, etc.) are all there. This seems to indicate the day when the Pixel Studio app is gone, as Google told 9to5 that things will continue to change.
We saw the signs
This 9to5 report comes at an interesting time, as Google recently announced that the Nano Banana 2 has become an “automated image generation model.” This second iteration of the model brings Pro-grade visuals with Flash-level speed (3.1 Flash). The company has confirmed that the Nano Banana 2 supports 512px to 4K image resolution on all limited features.
Another big win is that Nano Banana 2 is available to every Gemini user, not just subscribers. Real-time information from the web and improved text rendering help produce better accuracy and readable text for users making cards and posters. It’s not as if Google has forgotten about Pixel Studio. A report about the app says that the company has been working on adding animations as a feature for users. The user can enter information about how they would like the image to be animated, and watch the software do its job.
However, with everything that Google is doing with the Nano Banana and Gemini, it seems that it does not want to be separated between applications related to Gen AI.
Android Central Take
I think what I really need to look at is Google’s Nano Banana announcement about reaching 10 million new users on the Gemini app. The additions the company has made to its imaging capabilities are nothing short of impressive. It is evident from the number of people who used it in the Gemini app to see what it was all about. Google is likely trying to build on that success by pushing those who enjoy Pixel Studio into the Gemini app for their Gen AI products. Whether that works or not remains to be seen, but it has started.
