Google limits free Gemini users to Flash Lite starting October 9

Google is shrinking what free Gemini users get. Starting October 9, anyone on the free plan will be limited to a single model: Flash Lite. Today, free users can pick from Flash Lite, Flash, and Pro. Soon the menu offers one item, and it is the lightest one available. Who loses what The changes hit two groups of personal account users, and they cascade down the pricing ladder. Free users take the biggest cut. Per the research findings, they will keep the entry-level Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite model and lose Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3.1 Pro. Want the standard Flash model back? That now takes a Google AI Plus subscription at $4.99/month. Paying customers do not escape either. The AI Plus plan will no longer include Gemini Pro. Google says it will email AI Plus subscribers to tell them when they lose Pro access. The research findings indicate these notices go out individually rather than through a single uniform rollout. The new pricing ladder After the shift, each tier lines up roughly like this: Free: Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite only. AI Plus ($4.99/month): Flash Lite and Flash, with no Pro. AI Pro ($19.99/month): All models, including Pro and Deep Think. AI Ultra (from $99.99/month): All mo...