The Pulse
Google Limits Free Gemini to Flash-Lite Starting October 9
Google will remove Gemini Flash and Pro from the free Gemini app tier on October 9, leaving Flash-Lite as the only available model. Google AI Plus subscribers will also lose Pro access, while the company has not given them a single transiti
AI.info Team · Written with AI ·
On October 9, Google’s free Gemini tier will go from three available models to one: Flash-Lite. Gemini Flash and Gemini Pro will no longer be available to users without a Google AI subscription, according to Google’s updated model-access notice.
October 9 narrows the free model menu
The change applies to Gemini Apps used with personal accounts. Google’s help page says users without a paid AI plan will keep Flash-Lite, while Flash and Pro become unavailable on the free tier. The company describes Flash-Lite as an efficient model for everyday tasks such as summarizing and brainstorming in its broader Gemini support materials.
Google’s notice says, “These changes will start to take effect for users without an AI subscription on October 9th.” That date marks the start of the change for free users; the company gives no single date for when AI Plus subscribers will lose Pro, saying instead that affected customers should receive an email explaining when the change applies to them.
AI Plus keeps Flash, loses Pro
The lowest paid plan also gives up a model. After its change takes effect, Google AI Plus subscribers will retain Flash-Lite and Flash but lose Pro, according to the support table. The Verge reported that AI Plus costs $4.99 a month; access to Pro will remain with Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers, which it listed at $19.99 and $99.99 a month, respectively.
Google’s notice says AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers will continue to have access to Flash-Lite, Flash and Pro. It also says Deep Think, the option for maximum parallel reasoning, is available with AI Ultra. The table describes model availability, not usage allowances: Google separately says its Gemini limits depend on plan and may change.
Effort settings remain, but consume more usage
Free users will still be able to select low, medium or high effort for the model they can access. Google says higher effort can help a model complete tasks and provide more thorough answers, but uses more of a user’s limit. That means the upcoming change is not a removal of Gemini itself; it is a reduction in which models free users can choose.
The shift also draws a sharper boundary between free and paid access. A free user asking for a complex task will no longer be able to select Gemini Pro in the app, while a Plus subscriber can still choose Flash but not Pro once their account moves to the new arrangement. Google’s notice does not state whether the change applies to developer products such as AI Studio; it concerns Gemini Apps and personal accounts.
Google leaves Plus users waiting for an email
For free users, the effective date is set: October 9, 2026. For AI Plus customers, the transition will be communicated individually, so the support page does not establish whether all accounts will lose Pro at once. The company also does not explain the reason for the model-access changes in the notice.
That leaves two practical details unresolved for subscribers: when each AI Plus account will lose Pro, and whether Google will later revise the free tier’s model lineup. For now, the free plan’s published endpoint is Flash-Lite alone.