Gemini just knocked ChatGPT off the App Store — the viral “Nano Banana” image tool did it

Google’s Gemini is now the No. 1 free iPhone app in the U.S., overtaking ChatGPT after a weekend surge driven by its buzzy image-editing feature, “Nano Banana.”

What happened
Over September 13–16, Gemini climbed to the top of Apple’s Top Free chart as users flooded the app to mash up photos and turn selfies into toy-box-style 3D “figurines.” The momentum aligns with Google’s late-August rollout of Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (a.k.a. Nano Banana), which adds multi-image blending and precise prompt-based edits in the mobile app.

By the numbers
Google’s Josh Woodward says the craze added 13 million first-time users in 4 days (now 23M+ since launch) and pushed 500 million images through the app—so many that Google briefly imposed temporary usage limits over the weekend to manage demand.

Why it matters
This is the first time Gemini has toppled ChatGPT at the top of Apple’s App Store, signaling that consumer AI “stickiness” can be won with viral, visual use-cases—not just text chat. Tech investors noticed: Alphabet joined the $3T market-cap club on Monday (though shares have since eased intraday).

What changed
Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) brings fast, phone-native edits—blend shots, restyle outfits, apply looks—with invisible SynthID watermarking on outputs. It removes friction that used to live in desktop-only workflows and puts “good enough” creative power into a two-tap mobile loo

What’s next
If Google converts this spike into daily habit (beyond the figurine trend), expect more App Store chart whiplash—and renewed pressure on rivals to ship equally viral, mobile-first creation tools. Watch for whether Google relaxes the temporary guardrails as demand normalizes.