By Lance Whitney

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

Gemini is now the most downloaded iPhone app in the US.With the latest stats, Gemini shifted ChatGPT to second place.The new Nano Banana image editor is likely the reason for the shift.

Move over ChatGPT, there’s a new top app in town. Apple’s latest US charts for iPhone apps show Google Gemini as the most downloaded free app, shifting ChatGPT to second place and social media app Threads in the third spot. Gemini is also tops among free iPad apps in the US, with Netflix in second place and ChatGPT in third.

Reaching the No. 1 spot is a sign of intermittent progress for Gemini’s iOS app, which launched in November 2024. Courtesy of the Wayback Machine, Apple’s US charts from May 15 show the app at number 48. The charts from Aug. 1 place the app at number 64. And the charts from Aug. 29 show it recovering to 24th place.

Also: Your Gemini app just got a major AI image editing upgrade – for free

Why the sudden leap to the top? Google can probably thank its Nano Banana AI image editor, which has been generating a lot of buzz. With this new model built directly into the Gemini app, you can edit images using natural language prompts. Nano Banana also offers a few other cool skills.

You can upload a photo of a person or pet, and the subject’s appearance will remain the same even as you put them into different scenarios. For example, you could put an image of yourself into different outfits, professions, or even historical timeframes, suggests Google, and you’ll still look like you.

You can edit an image of a person or pet in different ways, and the appearance will remain the same. For example, you might tell Gemini to recreate the image as a watercolor picture or an anime drawing. You could also alter the clothing or the background. Whatever modifications you make, the look of the subject won’t change.

Also: AI-generated images are a legal mess – and still a very human process

As another trick, you’re able to take elements from two different images and blend them to create an entirely new one. For example, you could grab a photo of a woman and a photo of a dog and combine them to make it seem as if they’re cuddling together.

And here’s one more. You can keep adding descriptions to the prompt to change a specific element of the same image. For instance, you could add clouds to a sky or cars to a street without affecting the rest of the image.

To use the Nano Banana model, just fire up the Gemini app and tell the AI what you’re seeking via the prompt. You can then refashion and refine it using natural language at the prompt until you get the image you want.

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