Google launches Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image)
Confirmed
The takeaway
Nano Banana 2 — technically Gemini 3.1 Flash Image — launched on 26 Feb 2026, combining Nano Banana Pro quality with Flash speed; it became the default image model across the Gemini app, AI Mode, Lens, Ads and Flow and debuted at #1 in the Artificial Analysis text-to-image arena.
Status
- Claim
Confirmed
- Our reporting
- High confidence
- Importance
- 3 of 5
- Last verified
- 29 September 2026
Your AI and this story
- GPT-6 AstraIn its training data
- Claude Opus 5.5In its training data
- Gemini 4 HydrogenIn its training data
- Grok 4.7In its training data
It happened before the cutoffs of all four assistants, so it can be in their training data.
Key facts
- Preview 2026-02-26 as gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview; GA gemini-3.1-flash-image on 2026-05-28
- Default image engine in Gemini app, Search AI Mode, Google Lens, Google Ads and Flow
- Ranked #1 in Artificial Analysis Text-to-Image arena shortly after launch (per press)
What happened
Google released a faster, more realistic successor to its viral Nano Banana image model and made it the default image generator across its products.
Why it matters
Image generation/editing became a major driver of Gemini adoption (Google later reported 150M+ images generated daily in the Gemini app).
Sources
4 sources from 4 sites. Numbers match the chips in the text.
4 sources: 3 primary, 1 press
Primary
- Google: Nano Banana 2blog.google, official
- Workspace Updates: Nano Banana 2 in the Gemini appworkspaceupdates.googleblog.com, official
- Gemini API release notesai.google.dev, docs
Press
- TechCrunch: Google launches Nano Banana 2techcrunch.com, press
Changes
- Filed