Google’s latest Pixel Studio update is a major downgrade

Source: Android Authority

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

TL;DR

• Pixel Studio is losing some of its biggest features in the app’s latest update.
• Google has removed the generational AI tools that let you create custom stickers.
• Instead, the company is pushing users interested in that over to Nano Banana.

Google introduced its Pixel Studio app with the Pixel 9 series as a fun way to showcase the AI capabilities of the hardware, generating scenes and creating stickers based on your ideas. While the app was a nice addition, its availability has been limited to Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 handsets. Meanwhile, more broadly accessible image‑generation tools like Nano Banana are now available. What does this mean for Pixel Studio’s future? Unfortunately, the news isn’t positive.

If you’ve installed the most recent update (version 2.2.001.864530193.00‑release), you may have already noticed something missing. Previously, users could:

1. Tap the magic‑wand icon to generate content.
2. Insert the generated stickers onto an image.

With the new release, those features are gone, leaving only very basic markup tools:

AssembleDebug / Android Authority

What’s happening?

The change isn’t a mistake. Google confirmed the intentional removal in a statement reported by 9to5Google. The company plans to “re‑direct Pixel Studio users to Nano Banana in Gemini while offering an easy export tool for all your creations.” Existing stickers won’t be lost, but the tools to create new ones have been removed, prompting users to export their work and move to Nano Banana.

Outlook

The app isn’t being discontinued outright, but its functionality has been reduced to a markup‑only version that may persist for some time. Users who rely on the AI‑generated sticker features will need to transition to Nano Banana or another image‑generation solution.