Nano Banana is now in Google Photos and even iOS users can use its best features

Google announced a substantial update to Photos, which brings even more generative AI features to the app. The company is finally adding its market-leading Nano Banana image-editing model to Photos, and it won’t be available only on Android.

Google Photos gets more generative AI features, including for iOS

The highlight Google Photos updates are part of the conversational editing tool in the Help Me Edit feature. The tool used to run on an older model, but it has now been updated to use the Nano Banana model for various AI-powered edits, and it’ll be available on both Android and iOS.

You can now make more complicated edits in Google Photos with a text prompt. | Image credit – Google

The feature will now be able to access your private face groups, which allows you to use names in your instructions. For example, you could ask Help Me Edit to remove Riley’s sunglasses, and Nano Banana will identify Riley and make the edit. Of course, you need to have a Riley saved in your face groups for that to work. You can also ask the model to completely restyle your photos and turn them into a Renaissance painting, for example.

Google Photos is also getting a collection of ready-made AI templates within the “Create with AI” section. The goal is to help less experienced users create images based on popular in-app edits. Some available presets include “put me in a winter holiday card” and “create a professional headshot.”

More than just edits

The new “Ask” button gives more context about your photos. | Image credit – Google

Google is also introducing a new “Ask” button within Photos, which is different from the “Ask Photos” feature. The new button appears when viewing a photo, and you can tap it to access information about the photo’s content and discover related images. That feature will only be available in the US for now.The “Ask Photos” feature is expanding to more than 100 new countries and 17 new languages. With it, you can search through your gallery with natural language. Apple has tried something similar with its own Photos app, but its on-device machine learning algorithm provides subpar results.

All the new features are rolling out to users now, which means they should be available in the following days.

That could be useful

While I’m not the biggest fan of AI-generated images, simplifying photo edits with the help of Nano Banana sounds great. Removing a reflection or unwanted object from a photo with a short prompt could help many people fix their images, which is a good use of AI. Google providing such features for iPhone users is nothing less than a slap in the face of Apple.

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Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.

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