In a surprising twist to the AI app race, Google Gemini has dethroned OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the top-ranked app on the Apple App Store, riding the wave of the wildly popular Nano-Banana trend. Months after ChatGPT surged in popularity with its dreamy Ghibli-style image generation, Gemini has captured global attention with hyper-realistic 3D figurine-style portraits that resemble collectible toys. The shift marks a new phase in AI-powered creativity, where realism, personalization, and shareability are driving mass adoption.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of the trend, the tech, and the cultural ripple effects.
1. What is Nano-Banana and why is it viral
- Nano-Banana is Gemini’s new AI image editing feature that transforms user photos into 3D figurine-style portraits
- The output resembles miniature collectibles, complete with acrylic bases and toy-style packaging
- Users can customize backgrounds, blend multiple photos, and adjust clothing while preserving facial features and realism
- The trend exploded on social media, with celebrities, influencers, and even politicians sharing their figurine avatars
2. Gemini’s rise to the top
- As of September 14, 2025, Google Gemini ranks first on the Apple App Store’s free apps chart, ahead of Threads and ChatGPT
- The surge follows the release of Gemini’s 2.5 Flash image generation model, which powers the Nano-Banana feature
- Google’s integration of the model into Gemini, along with a viral marketing campaign and developer hackathons, helped drive over 10 million new users
- The app’s success reflects a shift in user preference toward realism and customization over stylized transformations
3. Ghibli vs Nano-Banana: a tale of two aesthetics
- ChatGPT’s Ghibli-style image generation, inspired by Studio Ghibli films, turns photos into soft, anime-like illustrations
- It emphasizes artistic transformation and nostalgia, appealing to fans of hand-drawn aesthetics
- In contrast, Gemini’s Nano-Banana focuses on realism, consistency, and toy-like presentation, making it more shareable and commercially appealing
- Both trends highlight the growing demand for AI-powered self-expression, but Gemini’s model has proven more versatile and viral in recent weeks
4. Political and celebrity adoption
- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Goa CM Pramod Sawant joined the trend, posting their 3D figurines on social media
- Bollywood celebrities like Rakesh Roshan and Sonam Bajwa have also shared their Nano-Banana portraits
- The trend has crossed generational and professional boundaries, becoming a cultural moment that blends tech with identity
5. How to create your own Nano-Banana figurine
- Launch the Google Gemini app or open Google AI Studio
- Upload a photo and enter the Nano-Banana 3D prompt, which includes specific instructions for scale, background, and packaging details
- Hit generate and wait for the image to render
- Users can tweak the prompt or photo to refine the output and share it across platforms
6. What this means for the AI app landscape
- Gemini’s rise signals a shift in the competitive dynamics of AI apps, where multimodal capabilities and viral features drive user growth
- OpenAI’s ChatGPT still holds a massive global user base, but Gemini’s integration with Google’s ecosystem gives it a strategic edge
- The success of Nano-Banana shows that AI adoption is increasingly driven by entertainment, personalization, and social media virality
- As AI tools become more accessible and creative, the race for relevance will hinge on user engagement, not just technical prowess
Final takeaway
Google Gemini’s ascent to the top of the App Store charts is more than a moment of viral success—it’s a signal that AI is evolving from productivity to play. With Nano-Banana, Gemini has tapped into the cultural zeitgeist, offering users a way to see themselves as collectible art. As the Ghibli wave fades and the figurine frenzy grows, the future of AI apps may well be shaped by how fun, personal, and shareable they can be.
Sources: MSN India, LiveMint, OfficeChai, Economic Times
