Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR Google is testing an image generation feature in Search’s AI Mode.
Powered by Nano Banana, the image generator could help search for topics more effectively.
It is also testing Search Live, which could replace the standard voice search in the Google Android app.
Google’s Nano Banana has sparked not just one, but numerous viral trends for different styles of AI-generated images. We can credit its popularity to phenomenal results, which, despite their oddities, look absolutely realistic. Now, Google appears to be planning to introduce these features to AI Mode in Search, as it continues its mission to bring it on par with Gemini.
We recently spotted hints suggesting image generation features are being added to AI Mode. Although they aren’t live yet, these features are being tested with 16.38.62 beta of the Google app on Android. With this update, we see a refreshed layout for buttons in the input text box.
While the mic button has been shifted rightward, the image upload button has been replaced with a (+), unlocking the option to generate images, in addition to uploading images from the photo gallery or the camera.
Current UI UI under trial AI image generation mode
Tapping the “Create images” option lets you describe a scenario to generate an image. These AI-generated images can then supplement your searches in AI mode. Although the feature is not currently functional, we have discovered evidence in the code that suggests Google could incorporate Nano Banana, which relies on the Gemini 2.5 Flash model.
We spotted the following strings hinting at the integration:
... continue reading