Nano Banana Crush: Google’s Tiny AI Tool Sends Adobe Firefly Tumbling

Downloads Tell the Story

The numbers are stark. Shortly after Google introduced the Nano Banana image generator inside Gemini 2.5 Flash, Adobe’s Firefly began losing momentum. Reports show Firefly downloads plunged by more than 50% in a single week while Gemini installs surged.

Rapid Shifts in Usage

Early October data highlighted an extreme swing: Gemini installs jumped over 300% while Firefly dropped nearly 70%. In the U.S. alone Gemini climbed almost 90% month-over-month as Firefly fell more than 80%. Firefly had just celebrated a summer surge — 150% growth in August — before this sudden reversal.

Where Nano Banana Lives

Google didn’t just launch another image generator. Nano Banana has been embedded across Google’s ecosystem: it appears inside Search and NotebookLM, and users can generate or edit images straight from the search bar or their notes. The tool is expected to roll into Google Photos soon, allowing quick remixes without leaving the app.

Making Creation Invisible and Habitual

This placement is strategic. By baking the image generator into daily workflows — search results, notes, and eventually photos — Google makes image creation a seamless, almost accidental act. Users stumble into creative features while doing routine tasks, and many switch without a second thought.

Global Testing and Localization

The Nano Banana rollout is already international, appearing in beta versions of Search and NotebookLM across multiple regions. Reports indicate Google is experimenting with localized prompts and visual styles, aiming to make the tool feel native and adaptable to different markets.

Adobe’s Countermove

Adobe has not stayed passive. The company added Nano Banana as one of the partner models inside Firefly and even enabled Nano Banana inside Photoshop’s Generative Fill in beta. That means Google’s model is, in some cases, running within Adobe’s own tools.

But integration hasn’t stopped the decline. With downloads dropping and market pressure rising, Adobe’s lead in creative AI looks shakier than before.

Why Placement Beats a Single Model

This isn’t simply a competition of models. It’s about where people spend time online. If an AI is woven into the apps and services users open daily, adoption follows naturally. Firefly risks becoming the admired studio that few people visit, while Nano Banana plays the role of the neighbor hosting a backyard concert everyone attends.

What Adobe Might Do Next

If Adobe wants to regain ground, the company may need to shift focus from model performance alone to the experience of creation: faster, looser tools that feel more human and less like a studio-only product. Otherwise, Google’s small but ubiquitous Nano Banana could continue to peel away the market share before anyone has time to respond.

Source

Business Insider provided the download breakdown and rollout details that reveal the scale of Nano Banana’s early impact on Firefly.