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Google to limit free Gemini users to Flash-Lite model from October 9
Коротко
Google will end free access to the Gemini Flash and Pro models on October 9, leaving users without a paid plan with only Flash-Lite, according to a company support page reported by tech outlets. Subscribers to the cheapest tier, Google AI Plus, will also lose access to Gemini Pro, with Google saying it will email them when that happens. Access to Pro and the Deep Think reasoning option will then require the pricier AI Pro or AI Ultra plans.
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Google will end free access to the Gemini Flash and Pro models on October 9, according to a company support page reported by Engadget and ZDNET. From that date, users without a paid Google AI plan will be limited to the Flash-Lite model for their queries and conversations. The Verge reported that free users currently can choose among Flash Lite, Flash and Pro, and that access to the standard Flash model will require a Google AI Plus subscription. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Google AI Plus, described as the cheapest paid tier, is itself being downgraded. Engadget reported that AI Plus subscribers will lose access to the Gemini 3.1 Pro model, and The Verge reported that the plan will no longer include Gemini Pro, with Google saying it will email AI Plus subscribers to let them know when they lose access. Engadget put AI Plus at $5 a month in the US and The Verge at $4.99 a month. [ 1 , 2 ]
After the changes, access to the top-tier Gemini Pro model and the Deep Think advanced reasoning option will be restricted to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers, according to The Verge, which priced those plans at $19.99 and $99.99 a month. Engadget gave AI Pro at $20 a month and AI Ultra at at least $100 a month, with higher usage limits. Engadget also reported that AI Ultra subscribers will get access to Gemini 4 Argon when it rolls out to the general public; it is currently available only to members of Google's Fairwind Program for governments and trusted partners. [ 1 , 2 ]
Google is also adding effort-level options for each model, letting users choose between low, medium and high, which the outlets said give models increasing ability to complete tasks. The higher the level, the more thorough the answers, but Engadget and The Verge noted it will consume more of a user's limit. On capability, ZDNET described Flash-Lite as the lowest-tier and least robust model, Engadget described Flash as a step up from Lite and Pro as designed for advanced reasoning and more complex tasks, and ZDNET described Pro as the most analytical model, used for math, logic and coding problems. ZDNET listed the models as 3.8 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite and 3.1 Pro. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Почему это важно
The change narrows what free and entry-level paying users can do with Gemini, pushing people who rely on the more capable models for coding, study or document analysis toward subscriptions costing $20 a month or more. For Google, it is a test of how much of its user base will pay for higher-tier AI access as model capability is increasingly tied to subscription level.
Ключевые факты
- Google will restrict free Gemini app and website users to the Flash-Lite model starting October 9. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Free users currently can choose among Flash-Lite, Flash and Pro models. [ 2 ]
- Google AI Plus subscribers will lose access to the Gemini Pro model, with Google saying it will email them to let them know when. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Access to Gemini Pro and the Deep Think option will be limited to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The documents give AI Plus at $5 or $4.99 a month, AI Pro at $20 or $19.99 a month and AI Ultra at $100 or $99.99 a month in the US. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Google is adding low, medium and high effort levels for each model, with higher levels consuming a user's usage limit faster. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- AI Ultra subscribers will also get access to Gemini 4 Argon when it becomes generally available; it is currently restricted to Google's Fairwind Program for governments and trusted partners. [ 1 ]
- ZDNET described Flash-Lite as the lowest-tier and least robust model, while Pro is the most analytical and is used for math, logic and coding tasks. [ 1 , 3 ]
Подтверждено несколькими источниками
- Google announced on its support page that free Gemini users will be limited to Flash-Lite from October 9. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Google AI Plus subscribers will lose access to the Gemini Pro model. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Gemini Pro and the Deep Think reasoning option will be restricted to AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Google is adding low, medium and high effort levels for each model, and higher levels use up a user's limit faster. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Пока неясно
- The exact monthly prices of Google's AI subscription tiers. Engadget gives AI Plus at $5 a month, AI Pro at $20 and AI Ultra at least $100, while The Verge gives $4.99, $19.99 and $99.99 respectively.
- When AI Plus subscribers will actually lose access to Gemini Pro. The Verge reports that Google says AI Plus subscribers will receive an email letting them know when they will lose access, but no date is given in any document.
- Whether the model Engadget calls Gemini 3.1 Pro and the model The Verge calls Gemini Pro are the same thing. The outlets use different names for the model being removed from the AI Plus tier.
- The full set of model names and versions available on each plan. ZDNET names 3.8 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite and 3.1 Pro, while the other outlets refer to the models only as Flash, Flash-Lite and Pro.
Что пишут местные СМИ
Хронология, местное время
- Engadget reports that Google will remove free access to Gemini Flash and Pro on October 9 and that AI Plus subscribers will lose Gemini 3.1 Pro. [ 1 ]
- The Verge reports free users will be limited to Flash Lite from October 9 and that AI Plus subscribers will be emailed when they lose Gemini Pro. [ 2 ]
- ZDNET reports free users will lose access to Flash and Pro starting Friday, October 9, and be left with Flash-Lite. [ 3 ]
- The changes take effect: free Gemini users are limited to Flash-Lite. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]