Google is restricting access to some of its newer Gemini models for users on lower-priced plans. Starting October 9, free users and AI Plus subscribers will lose access to several models currently available to them.
According to an updated Google support page, first reported by 9to5Google, users without a Google AI subscription will be limited to a single Flash model and will no longer have access to newer Flash variants that are currently available to them.
The changes come as Google continues to roll out updates to its Gemini models on an almost monthly basis, with the most recent update being Gemini 3.8 Flash in September.
The $4.99-per-month AI Plus tier is also being affected, with subscribers limited to Flash and Flash-Lite models and losing access to Gemini 3.1 Pro and newer reasoning models.
In other words, an AI Plus subscription will no longer guarantee access to Google’s top reasoning models.
There will be no quota reduction for the Google AI Pro and Ultra tiers, which will retain their previous benefits. Both tiers will also continue to offer the Deep Thinking feature.
More importantly, Google has announced that users will be able to choose between low, medium and high effort levels for models. Higher-effort settings consume the available quota more quickly, creating a trade-off between response quality and how long the quota lasts.
