What is "Nano Banana" in Google AI Studio? How to Access the Secret Experimental Model
If you look at the trending searches in the UK and Canada right now, you will see a weird term: "Nano Banana".
At first, I thought it was a meme. But after digging into Reddit threads and Google AI Studio logs, it turns out this might be a codename for Google's newest lightweight model—or perhaps a "glitch" that developers are exploiting.
I logged into my Google AI Studio account to test it out. Here is what I found, and how you can mess around with Google's experimental models before they are released to the public.
1. What We Know So Far
"Nano Banana" appears to be a placeholder name found in the API documentation for the Gemini Nano series (the version designed to run on phones like the Pixel 9).
The Theory: It’s likely a super-compressed version of Gemini 3 designed for extreme speed.
Why it’s trending: Developers noticed it gives surprisingly "raw" and unfiltered answers compared to the safe Gemini Pro.
2. How to Access Experimental Models
You don't need to be a hacker to try Google's latest tech.
Go to aistudio.google.com.
Sign in with your Google Account.
On the right sidebar, look for the "Model" dropdown.
Scroll down to "Gemini-Experimental" (This is where the magic happens).
Note: These models are unstable. If you want a reliable AI for daily work, stick to the tools we listed in our guide: [13+ Essential AI Tools for Content Creators in 2025].
3. My Test Results
I asked the experimental model to write a Python script for a "Snake Game."
Result: It wrote the code in 2 seconds flat. Faster than GPT-4o, but it lacked comments.
Verdict: It’s built for speed, not nuance.
Conclusion
Whether "Nano Banana" becomes an official product or stays a developer inside joke, one thing is clear: Google is iterating fast.
Don't be afraid to poke around in AI Studio. Sometimes, the best tools are the ones hidden in the menus.
Did you find the 'Banana' reference in your API log?