By Srija Kumar
Just weeks after ChatGPT dominated the Apple App Store charts, OpenAI’s viral reign has come to an abrupt end, with Google’s Gemini taking the crown.
The reason is the newest internet trend called ‘Nano-Banana’.
In a landscape where AI trends come and go at lightning speed, Nano-Banana is the latest to captivate Gen Z, TikTok creators and millennials. The trend involves users generating consistent, hyper-realistic 3D portraits of themselves powered by Gemini’s image tools. The results are polished, often adorable, and perfect for posting.
The Nano Banana trend started with users posting miniature 3d avatars of themselves. The term doesn’t point to a specific feature, instead it captures the surreal tone of the aesthetic.
Downloads of the Gemini app have increased rapidly, putting it at the top of the App Store in multiple countries. Data shows that Gemini now is higher in ranks than ChatGPT in the productivity and overall app rankings, which is a rare feat since OpenAI launched its app to instant chart-topping success earlier this year.
The sudden shift in rankings marks a notable moment in the ongoing AI arms race. Earlier ChatGPT’s “Ghibli-style” image generation evoked the hand-drawn magic of Studio Ghibli, which fueled massive user engagement. Everyday users and celebrities AI-generated versions of themselves on their feeds.
Now, as the Nano-Banana craze spreads, Google is benefiting from a surge in social buzz and Gemini’s image generation features, once criticized for inconsistency, have quietly improved. The app’s ability to produce cohesive, realistic 3D avatars is a major driver behind the current wave of interest.
This shift also comes in the wake of a very public spat between Elon Musk and Apple. Tesla and X CEO recently accused Apple of giving OpenAI preferential treatment by prominently featuring ChatGPT on the App Store. But in light of Gemini’s new top spot, that complaint seems a little outdated.
Whether Gemini can sustain this rise in user ship or not will depend on what viral trend comes next.