Gemini Surges to App Store Top Spot on Nano Banana Feature, Threatening chatgpt’s Dominance
September 15, 2025 – google’s Gemini app has rocketed to the top of the App Store charts fueled by the popularity of its new Nano Banana feature, a native image-editing capability, potentially signaling trouble for OpenAI’s ChatGPT.While Gemini currently trails OpenAI in image creation from text prompts, according to analyst commentary, the new feature is attracting users and could shift the competitive landscape.
“The idea hear is that if Google can generate traction within the Gemini app for image manipulation, then its chances of enticing users to use Gemini for other functions improve meaningfully,” stated Windsor, an industry observer.
The rise of Gemini comes as image creation and manipulation has become the third most common use case for chatbots, following general queries and learning a skill or task. As of May 2025, ChatGPT held a slight lead in image creation among users, according to an Evercore ISI survey. Though, Gemini users have demonstrated high satisfaction, and ChatGPT hasn’t shown a “material disparity in the quality of [its] search results,” suggesting its lead is vulnerable.
According to an Evercore ISI survey, 53% of respondents reported using ChatGPT, while 43% reported using Gemini.
Windsor believes nano Banana could be a breakthrough for gemini, allowing Google to capitalize on an area of expertise lacking in other large language model developers. Should Gemini overtake ChatGPT as the leading consumer AI request, the consequences for OpenAI would be “disastrous,” as OpenAI’s “valuation and outlook depend on becoming the largest consumer AI ecosystem.”
The App Store has become a key battleground for AI chatbot dominance, highlighted by a recent lawsuit filed by Elon Musk against Apple, alleging unfair favoring of ChatGPT over xAI’s grok in app rankings.
