Gemini app limiting what models free & AI Plus users can access, AI Pro adding Deep Think

Following the compute-based usage change in May, Google will soon introduce limits on which Gemini models free users and AI Plus subscribers can access.

According to an updated support document this week, Gemini app users without a Google AI subscription will be limited to the (3.5) Flash-Lite model. Starting October 9, users who do not pay for Gemini will no longer be able to access (3.6) Flash or (3.1) Pro.

Meanwhile, AI Plus subscribers will be limited to Flash-Lite and Flash, with Pro no longer available. These $4.99 per month users will “receive an email that explains when these changes will take effect.”

There are no regressions for AI Pro and AI Ultra. Rather, $19.99/month customers will get access to the Deep Think option for “maximum parallel reasoning” that’s currently just on the $99.99 and $199.99/month plans.

Gemini 3.1 Pro with Deep Think on AI Ultra

In October, the Gemini app also looks to be adding new “low,” “medium,” and “high” effort levels “for each available model.”

This will increase the model’s ability to complete tasks and provide more thorough answers to queries, but will also use more of your limit.  

At the moment, you can just enable “Extended thinking: Complex problem solving.” The three new effort/thinking levels would match what’s available in Google AI Studio and Antigravity.

It’s not clear where Gemini 4 Argon will fit in. Google announced earlier this week that it’s first coming to AI Ultra subscribers. The company has yet to specify whether Argon will be classified as a Pro model or be part of a new tier above it.

More on Gemini app:

• Gemini app gains new ‘Map’ tool, replacing ‘/’ with ‘@’
• Google announces Gemini 4 Argon as its new frontier model
• Google details Gems to skills migration, including free access