India Leads Adoption of Google’s Nano Banana with Distinctive Cultural Trends
Since its launch last month, Google’s Nano Banana image-generation model—officially named Gemini 2.5 Flash Image—has rapidly gained global traction through the Gemini app. India, however, has distinguished itself as the foremost market driving usage and innovation, with users creatively leveraging the technology to produce culturally resonant content, even as privacy concerns begin to surface.
India Tops Global Usage and Downloads
David Sharon, multimodal generation lead for Gemini Apps at Google DeepMind, revealed at a recent media session that India leads globally in Nano Banana usage. This surge has vaulted the Gemini app to the number one spot on both the iOS App Store and Google Play in India, contributing significantly to the app’s global chart success, as reported by Appfigures.
India’s position as the world’s second-largest smartphone market and online population after China explains much of this momentum. Yet, Google is particularly intrigued by the uniquely local and inventive ways Indian users engage with Nano Banana.
Local Creative Trends Shape AI Usage
One notable trend involves users generating retro portraits inspired by 1990s Bollywood aesthetics, complete with era-specific fashion, hairstyles, and makeup. This trend, described by Sharon as uniquely Indian, extends to the popular “AI saree” theme—portraits featuring vintage-style traditional attire.
Other localized trends include selfies set against iconic landmarks such as London’s Big Ben and retro telephone booths, reflecting a blend of cultural curiosity and creativity. Indian users also experiment with time-travel effects, object transformations, and even reimaginings of themselves as retro postage stamps or alongside younger versions of themselves.
Some global trends have also gained momentum through Indian adoption. For instance, the figurine trend—creating miniature self-representations—originated in Thailand and Indonesia but achieved global prominence after Indian users embraced it.
Video Generation Enhances User Engagement
Beyond static images, Indian users are increasingly utilizing Google’s Veo 3 AI video-generation model within the Gemini app to animate old photographs of ancestors, further enriching the platform’s cultural relevance.
Download and Spending Metrics Highlight Market Dynamics
Between January and August, the Gemini app averaged 1.9 million monthly downloads in India, 55% higher than in the U.S., accounting for 16.6% of global downloads, according to Appfigures data. Total Indian downloads reached 15.2 million through August, compared to 9.8 million in the U.S.
Following the Nano Banana update on September 1, daily downloads in India surged dramatically—from 55,000 installs to a peak of 414,000 on September 13—a 667% increase. The app has maintained the top overall ranking on both iOS and Google Play since early September.
Despite this, India lags in in-app purchase revenue, generating approximately $95,000 (1.5% of the global total) on iOS, compared to the U.S.’s $2.3 million (35%). However, India posted a robust 18% month-over-month growth in spending in early September, outpacing the global average and significantly exceeding U.S. growth rates.
Privacy and Safety Measures Amid Rising Concerns
As with many AI-driven platforms, concerns about the use of personal photos in AI transformations have emerged. Sharon acknowledged these issues, noting Google’s commitment to respecting user intent while striving to improve safeguards.
To address misuse risks, Google embeds a visible diamond-shaped watermark on Nano Banana-generated images and uses its SynthID tool to invisibly mark AI-generated content. Google is currently testing a detection platform with trusted partners and plans to release a consumer-facing tool for verifying AI-generated images.
“This is still day one, and we’re still learning,” Sharon said. “Feedback from users, press, academia, and experts is vital to refining our approach going forward.”
FinOracleAI — Market View
India’s dominant role in driving Nano Banana adoption significantly boosts Gemini app’s user base and engagement metrics, positioning Google strongly in a key emerging market. However, relatively low monetization levels and rising privacy concerns present risks that could impact long-term revenue growth and user trust. Observing how Google balances innovation with data protection and whether spending in India accelerates further will be critical.
Impact: positive
