Google’s latest image generation and editing model, Nano Banana 2.1, is now running in AI Mode in Google Search, giving users a direct path from a search to producing and refining images without leaving the Google app.
What Nano Banana 2.1 brings to AI Mode
Nano Banana 2.1 is Google’s newest image generation and editing model, positioned as an upgrade over earlier versions. According to Google’s description, the model “outperforms our previous models across the board, with notable leaps in visual design, mask-based editing, and subject consistency to help you create more natural-looking images.”
Mask-based editing means a user can isolate a specific part of an image and change only that area, while subject consistency means the same character, object or product holds its identity across multiple generated images. Together those capabilities turn AI Mode from a place that returns visual answers into a place where a user can create and revise images mid-session.
How to access it in the Google app
Access is simple and lives inside the standard search surface. A user opens the Google app and taps the 🍌 banana icon under the search box, which opens AI Mode with the new model ready to generate or edit an image, with no separate app, prompt box, or login step required.
The rollout path leading to 2.1
The banana-branded image model has moved steadily across Google’s surfaces over the past year. Google first introduced Nano Banana inside Google Lens roughly a year ago. In December the model was expanded to AI Mode, and in July the same capability reached AI Overviews.
Those placements matter because they determine who actually sees the feature. Google Lens connects to live camera and on-screen images, AI Mode supports longer chat-style queries that combine text and visuals, and AI Overviews sit above traditional search results with a faster, lighter interface. Nano Banana 2.1 is confirmed inside AI Mode; it is unclear whether AI Overviews are also running the 2.1 version or are still on the earlier model.
What the upgrade means in practice
The improvements Google highlights point at two practical wins. Better visual design means generated images look less like a rough draft and closer to a finished asset, which matters for anyone using the output in marketing, social posts, or product mockups. Mask-based editing means a single prompt can target one area without rebuilding the whole image, cutting the rework loop. Subject consistency means a character, product, or scene can carry across several images in the same session, useful for short storyboards, product sets, or styled thumbnails.
Placing Nano Banana 2.1 inside AI Mode also signals how Google is treating AI Mode as the experimental surface inside Search. The model, the editing tools, and the camera icon all sit a tap apart, which lowers the effort to try image generation while searching.
FAQ
What is Nano Banana 2.1?
Nano Banana 2.1 is Google’s latest image generation and editing model, designed to produce more natural-looking images with improved visual design, mask-based editing, and subject consistency.
How do I use Nano Banana 2.1 in AI Mode?
Open the Google app and tap the banana icon under the search box. AI Mode will open with the new model ready to generate or edit an image.
Where has Nano Banana been available before?
Google first added Nano Banana to Google Lens roughly a year ago, expanded it to AI Mode in December, and brought it to AI Overviews in July. Nano Banana 2.1 is confirmed in AI Mode; it is unclear whether AI Overviews are also running the 2.1 version.
This article summarizes reporting from seroundtable.com.