Google is about to shrink what free and lower-tier subscribers can do with the Gemini app. According to an updated Google support document reported on Saturday, users without a Google AI subscription will be limited to a single model, Flash-Lite, from October 9, losing access to both Flash and Pro.
The change also affects AI Plus, the $4.99-a-month tier. Those subscribers will keep access to Flash-Lite and Flash but will lose access to Pro. Google said AI Plus subscribers "will receive an email that explains when these changes will take effect".
Who keeps full access
There are no reductions for AI Pro ($19.99 a month) or AI Ultra subscribers, who will continue to have access to Flash-Lite, Flash and Pro. In fact, AI Pro customers gain something: the Deep Think option for "maximum parallel reasoning", currently restricted to the $99.99 and $199.99 monthly plans.
The changes follow a compute-based usage change introduced in May, and appear to be part of Google's effort to steer heavy users toward its paid plans as reasoning-heavy models become more expensive to run.
New effort levels on the way
In October, the Gemini app is also expected to add new "low", "medium" and "high" effort levels for each available model, letting users trade off thoroughness against their usage limits. The wording mirrors what is already available in Google AI Studio and the Antigravity platform: higher effort "will increase the model's ability to complete tasks and provide more thorough answers to queries, but will also use more of your limit."
It remains unclear where Gemini 4 Argon, announced earlier this week as Google's new frontier model and first coming to AI Ultra subscribers, will sit in the lineup. Google has not said whether Argon will be classified as a Pro model or part of a new tier above it.
Sources:
9to5Google: Gemini limiting what models free & AI Plus users can access
The change also affects AI Plus, the $4.99-a-month tier. Those subscribers will keep access to Flash-Lite and Flash but will lose access to Pro. Google said AI Plus subscribers "will receive an email that explains when these changes will take effect".
Who keeps full access
There are no reductions for AI Pro ($19.99 a month) or AI Ultra subscribers, who will continue to have access to Flash-Lite, Flash and Pro. In fact, AI Pro customers gain something: the Deep Think option for "maximum parallel reasoning", currently restricted to the $99.99 and $199.99 monthly plans.
The changes follow a compute-based usage change introduced in May, and appear to be part of Google's effort to steer heavy users toward its paid plans as reasoning-heavy models become more expensive to run.
New effort levels on the way
In October, the Gemini app is also expected to add new "low", "medium" and "high" effort levels for each available model, letting users trade off thoroughness against their usage limits. The wording mirrors what is already available in Google AI Studio and the Antigravity platform: higher effort "will increase the model's ability to complete tasks and provide more thorough answers to queries, but will also use more of your limit."
It remains unclear where Gemini 4 Argon, announced earlier this week as Google's new frontier model and first coming to AI Ultra subscribers, will sit in the lineup. Google has not said whether Argon will be classified as a Pro model or part of a new tier above it.
Sources:
9to5Google: Gemini limiting what models free & AI Plus users can access
