Overview
- Pixel Studio v2.3, rolling out in early June 2026, removes the app’s image-creation interface and replaces it with a prominent “Open Gemini” button that links users to the Gemini app.
- Google confirmed the update effectively discontinues on-device generation in Pixel Studio and directs users to create images in Gemini using the Nano Banana image models.
- Users’ existing Pixel Studio creations remain viewable and shareable inside the app even after the generation features are disabled.
- Pixel Studio debuted with the Pixel 9 series as a Pixel-only on-device tool for quick images, stickers, and greeting cards but received modest uptake and had its features pared back over multiple updates.
- The shutdown signals Google’s broader consolidation of generative AI into Gemini, which could push image generation from phone-based processing to Gemini’s cloud models and change how Pixel owners make and store AI images.