Google has launched a significant AI upgrade to its Photos app, incorporating conversational editing, creative AI templates, and enhanced photo customization through the new Nano Banana model. This update is now being rolled out to over 100 countries, including the US and India, marking one of Google’s most ambitious integrations of photo AI to date. Central to this upgrade is the new ‘Ask’ button, which revolutionizes user interaction with their photo collections. With a simple tap, users can engage with their photos—requesting edits, asking questions about images, or exploring related memories. This feature accepts natural language input, allowing users to articulate desired edits like ‘remove glare’ or ‘brighten the sky,’ with changes applied in real time.
A standout aspect of this update is Nano Banana, Google’s advanced model for photo enhancement and generation. This model is embedded in the Google Photos editor and features a ‘Help me edit’ tab that enables users to craft imaginative AI portraits and themes. Whether aiming to convert a selfie into a Renaissance painting or join a trending 4K retro aesthetic, the tool simplifies the process with just a few prompts. In addition to creative transformations, Google has improved personalized facial editing capabilities. The app can now make subtle adjustments to faces, such as opening eyes, adding smiles, or removing accessories.
For example, users can input commands like, ‘Remove Riley’s sunglasses, open my eyes, make Engel smile and open her eyes.’ According to Google, this feature securely references private face groups within the user’s photo library to ensure accurate, privacy-conscious results. Another notable feature is the AI-driven templates. Initially launching in the US and India under the ‘Create’ tab, these templates facilitate quick, themed photo generation with prompts like ‘put me in a high fashion photoshoot,’ ‘create a professional headshot,’ or ‘make a winter holiday card.’ Powered by Nano Banana, these templates enhance the ease of creative editing for everyday situations.
Google also announced that personalized templates are in development, which will utilize users’ photo histories and interests to provide customized edits—such as ‘create a cartoon of me and my hobbies’ or ‘design a personalized name doodle.’ The rollout to US users is anticipated in the upcoming weeks. Furthermore, conversational editing—previously limited to Android devices—is now being introduced to iPhones in the US. iOS users can issue voice or text commands to edit photos, including removing background distractions or enhancing smiles. The revamped iOS photo editor features intuitive gestures, one-tap suggestions, and natural language support for a more seamless, unified cross-platform experience.
Lastly, Google is expanding its Ask Photos feature to over 100 additional countries, adding support for 17 new languages including Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi. This upgrade enhances the intuitiveness and multilingual capability of searching for specific memories. With Nano Banana, Google Photos is transitioning from a simple photo storage application into an intelligent visual assistant, one that comprehends user desires and transforms creative concepts into stunning outcomes within seconds.
