Google announced on Monday that its Gemini app is now offering the personalized, Nano Banana-powered image generation feature to a broader audience. Starting today, all eligible users in the U.S. can access the feature for free—a service that was previously limited to Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers.
What Is Nano Banana-Powered Image Generation?
Google first announced Nano Banana-powered image generation for Gemini’s Personal Intelligence feature back in April 2026. It allows users to create images that reflect their unique interests without needing to specify every detail in a prompt. Instead, Gemini uses data from your connected Google account—such as Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube, and Search—to generate images based on its understanding of your likes and preferences.
For example, instead of typing, “Create an illustration of me and my favorite things, such as coffee and baking,” you can simply say, “Create an illustration of me and my favorite things.” Gemini can even pull actual images of you from Google Photos, so manual photo uploads are unnecessary.
Expanding Access in 2026
Google initially rolled out the Personal Intelligence feature earlier this year, making it widely available to all U.S. users in March 2026. The company recently expanded the functionality to users in India and Japan as well. With this latest update, Nano Banana-powered image generation is now free for all eligible U.S. users, removing the previous subscription barrier.
Personal Intelligence remains an opt-in feature, giving you control over which apps Gemini can access. Once enabled, it becomes the default for every prompt, but you can disable it with a new toggle in the Tools menu.
Broader Gemini Updates and Growth
Last month, at Google I/O 2026, the company announced several upcoming updates for the Gemini app, including a “Daily Brief” feature, a revamped interface, access to the AI video model Gemini Omni, and a personal AI agent called Gemini Spark. These developments underscore Google’s commitment to enhancing the Gemini experience.
Notably, Google’s AI chatbot Gemini surpassed 750 million monthly active users (MAUs) earlier this year, solidifying its position as a major player in the competitive AI landscape.
via TechCrunch AI