Google Images is getting a visual refresh as it turns 25

Google Images turns 25 with a revamped desktop UI and Nano Banana AI image generation in AI Overviews, rolling out over the coming weeks.

Google Images has been around since July 2001, making it 25 years old this week. So to celebrate, Google has started rolling out a revamped interface to the image search experience on desktop.

The new Google Images now has a "dynamic, immersive gallery" of images from across the web that updates in real time and tailors itself to your interests, placing your saved collections as clickable tabs right above the main grid. Google said that this setup makes it easy to jump back in and continue exploring based on what inspires you as you browse. The new Google Images will roll out over the "coming weeks" to English users in the US.

One new feature Google Images is getting for its 25th anniversary is the ability to generate custom images directly within AI Overviews using Nano Banana. According to Google, this can come in handy when your search query requires a specific picture that does not exist on the web yet. The new feature will start rolling out over the coming weeks in all regions that support image creation in AI Mode.

Images have come a long way since 2001. Over the years, it's gained features like Similar Images in 2009 to find visual matches without text, and Search by Image in 2011, where you upload an image into the search bar and let the visual search term find its original source. Google Lens came along in 2018 to scan the physical world, followed by Multisearch in 2022, which lets you combine text and images.

The year 2025 saw the launch of Search Live and visual results in AI Mode. And at this year's I/O, Google announced the Intelligent Search box feature, reimagining the search bar with plenty of room to ask questions about images and upload multiple files at once.

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Posted Wednesday 15 July 2026 at 7:50 am AEST (my time).

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