Gemini free users are about to lose access to two of the app’s three models. Google has published a support page confirming the change. People using the Gemini app without an AI subscription will be limited to Flash-Lite, with Flash and Pro removed. It takes effect on October 9, 2026.
These changes will start to take effect for users without an AI subscription on October 9th.
Google frames this on its help page as a routine update to model availability and limits. In practical terms it is a reduction. Free users keep the app but lose the two stronger models they can pick today.
What changes for Gemini model access, tier by tier
The page applies to personal Gemini accounts. Google does not name any countries or regions, so there is no stated geographic limit either way. Here is where each tier lands once the change takes effect.
- No subscription: Flash-Lite only. Flash and Pro go away on October 9.
- Google AI Plus: Flash-Lite and Flash. Pro is removed. Timing is handled individually, and Google says affected subscribers will get an email telling them when their own switch happens.
- Google AI Pro: Flash-Lite, Flash and Pro, plus Deep Think. 9to5Google reports Deep Think is new to this tier, having been restricted to the higher Ultra plans until now.
- Google AI Ultra: Flash-Lite, Flash, Pro and Deep Think. No losses here.
The AI Plus timing is worth separating out clearly. October 9 is the date Google attaches to unsubscribed users only. AI Plus subscribers should watch their inbox rather than their calendar.
Paying subscribers who end up with less
AI Plus is the tier that comes out of this worst. Those users are paying for the service, and 9to5Google puts the US price at $4.99 per month. After the change they lose Pro access they have today, with no corresponding drop in what they pay. That is a smaller product for the same bill. It is a different thing from the neutral availability update Google’s page describes.
Deep Think arriving for AI Pro is a genuine addition. 9to5Google notes it was previously reserved for the $99.99 and $199.99 per month Ultra plans. It does nothing for the two groups actually losing capability. Anyone running a free Pixel 11 Pro trial of Google AI Pro is unaffected for the length of that trial. The free-tier ceiling only arrives once the trial lapses.
Effort levels and what to do before October 9
Google is also surfacing an effort control. Users can choose low, medium or high effort for whichever models they have access to. Higher effort pushes the model to work through a task more thoroughly, and Google says it consumes more of your usage limit in exchange.
If you rely on Flash or Pro for anything substantial in the Gemini app, you have two practical options. Finish that work before October 9, or price out a subscription. Gemini has already replaced Google Assistant on Android, so for a lot of people this is not an app they can simply stop opening. All dollar figures above are 9to5Google’s US pricing, and Google’s own support page lists no prices at all.
Sources: Google, 9to5Google
