Google to Restrict Free Users’ Access to Advanced Gemini Models

Google is making changes to its Gemini AI service, and free users will soon lose access to some of the chatbot’s most advanced models. Starting October 9, free users will no longer be able to use Gemini’s 3.6 Flash and 3.1 Pro models, as reported by 9to5Google. According to an updated Google support page, these users will only be able to access the 3.5 Flash-Lite model, which is the lightest and fastest option.

To regain access to the 3.6 Flash model, users will need to subscribe to Google’s $4.99-per-month AI Plus plan. The 3.1 Pro model, the most advanced option, requires a $19.99-per-month AI Pro subscription. Notably, students can still get a year of Google’s AI Pro plan for free.

Google also announced that users will soon be able to choose the level of effort each model puts into their queries, with options for low, medium, or high. This feature is designed to improve the model’s ability to complete tasks and provide more thorough answers but will use more of the user’s limit. The company notes that usage limits are calculated based on the complexity of the prompt, the features used, and the length of the chat.

This is the second time this year that Google has overhauled its AI plans. The latest changes come amid rising storage and component costs, which may be impacting the company’s AI infrastructure spending.