Google released Nano Banana 2.1 today, and it is already working within AI Mode in Google Search. Nano Banana 2.1 is Google's latest image generation and editing model.
Google said Nano Banana 2.1 "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."
Robby Stein, Google's VP of Product in Search, added that Nano Banana 2.1 is already in AI Mode. He wrote on X, "Nano Banana 2.1 is rolling out in AI Mode in Search!" To use it, he said, just "open the Google app & tap the 🍌 icon under the Search box to get started creating."
Here is a screenshot of that button in the Google App:
Here is a screenshot of what happens when you tap the 🍌 icon:
Google first brought Nano Banana to Google Lens a year ago then expanded access to AI Mode last December and in July brought it to AI Overviews. I don't think AI Overviews use version 2.1 of Nano Banana yet but AI Mode does.
Nano Banana 2.1 is rolling out in AI Mode in Search!
Open the Google app & tap the 🍌 icon under the Search box to get started creating.
— Robby Stein (@rmstein)[October 6, 2026](https://x.com/rmstein/status/2107513543327412436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Forum discussion at [X](https://x.com/rmstein/status/2107513543327412436).