How to use Gemini Nano Banana model on WhatsApp? Perplexity has a free solution

Google’s Nano Banana AI model, powered by the Gemini 2.5 Flash engine, has quickly become one of the most popular tools on social media, with users generating everything from 4K retro portraits to the viral saree trend. Building on this momentum, AI startup Perplexity has now integrated the image-generation model into its WhatsApp bot, making it more accessible to millions of users worldwide.

The announcement was made by Perplexity on X, with co-founder and CEO Aravind Srinivas resharing the update. The company described Nano Banana as the “highest-quality model” now available directly on WhatsApp, offering users an alternative to Meta AI, which powers many features of the messaging platform but is seen as less advanced than Google’s AI engines.

How to use Nano Banana on WhatsApp?

To access Nano Banana on WhatsApp, users need to do the following:

1. Start a chat with Perplexity’s bot by saving the number +1 (833) 436-3285
2. Send your image and add a detailed prompt

The model works best with descriptive prompts, producing the same quality of results as it does on Google’s own apps, such as Gemini and Google AI Studio.

Is Nano Banana on WhatsApp free to use?

Perplexity did not confirm whether Nano Banana on WhatsApp is free to use. Currently, Google provides limited free access to its AI models, with paid tiers offering more extensive usage. A similar arrangement is expected for the Perplexity bot.

India has emerged as the biggest market for Nano Banana, with the Gemini app topping download charts on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. With WhatsApp’s vast user base in India and abroad, the integration is likely to push the trend even further.

In addition to image generation, the Perplexity bot on WhatsApp can handle a wide range of tasks similar to its standalone app, making it more than just a tool for experimenting with Nano Banana.