India has emerged as the global leader in the adoption of Google’s Nano Banana image-generation model, officially known as Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, driving unprecedented engagement with the Gemini app. According to David Sharon, multimodal generation lead for Gemini Apps at Google DeepMind, India ranks first in usage of the model, with its influence extending far beyond mere numbers. The surge in popularity has propelled the Gemini app to the top of the free app charts on both the App Store and Google Play in India. It has also climbed into the global top charts, according to data from Appfigures. With the world’s second-largest smartphone market and second-biggest online population after China, India’s scale is a key factor. But what truly stands out is the creativity and localization of how users are engaging with the AI model. One of the most prominent trends is the “retro Bollywood” phenomenon, where Indian users generate AI portraits of themselves styled in 1990s fashion—complete with classic hairdos, bold makeup, and period-specific clothing. A related trend, dubbed the “AI saree,” features users reimagining themselves in traditional Indian attire from past decades. These creative expressions are distinctly Indian and have helped shape the model’s cultural footprint. Another popular use case involves generating selfies set against iconic global landmarks like Big Ben and retro telephone booths, blending local identity with international imagery. Users are also experimenting with time-travel effects, black-and-white portraits, and even imagining themselves as vintage postage stamps or miniature figurines. While some of these trends originated elsewhere—such as the figurine trend, which began in Thailand and spread to Indonesia—India played a pivotal role in amplifying them globally. Google has observed that Indian users helped bring the figurine trend into mainstream awareness, contributing to its international reach. Beyond image generation, Indian users are also leveraging Google’s Veo 3 AI video model to animate old family photos, particularly those of grandparents and great-grandparents, creating heartfelt short videos that blend nostalgia with AI innovation. The impact on app downloads has been dramatic. From January to August, India recorded an average of 1.9 million monthly downloads of the Gemini app—55% higher than in the U.S.—and accounted for 16.6% of global downloads. By August, India had accumulated 15.2 million downloads, compared to 9.8 million in the U.S. Daily downloads surged after the Nano Banana update launched on September 1, peaking at 414,000 on September 13—a 667% increase from the previous day. Since then, Gemini has remained the top app on both iOS and Google Play in India across all categories. Despite leading in downloads, India ranks low in in-app purchases, contributing $95,000 in global revenue—only 1.5% of the total $6.4 million generated on iOS since launch. The U.S. leads with $2.3 million. However, India recorded a remarkable 18% month-over-month spending growth between September 1 and 16, outpacing the global average of 11% and the U.S. rate by more than 17 percentage points. Concerns around privacy and misuse have surfaced, particularly regarding users uploading personal photos to generate AI images. Sharon acknowledged these risks, stating that Google aims to fulfill user requests without assuming intent. To address transparency, Google applies a visible diamond watermark and uses its SynthID tool to embed invisible digital markers in AI-generated content. The company is currently testing a detection platform with trusted experts and plans to launch a consumer-facing version that allows users to verify whether an image was created with AI. “This is still day one,” Sharon said. “We’re learning together, and your feedback—whether from users, press, academia, or experts—helps us improve.”