On October 6, Google was reported to be planning to narrow the free Gemini app’s model selector to Gemini Flash-Lite 3.5 from October 9. The reported change would remove Gemini Flash 3.6 and Gemini 3.1 Pro, reducing the free selector from three models to one.
What would change for free Gemini users
Under the reported plan, Gemini Flash-Lite 3.5 would be the sole model available to select in the free app. Gemini Flash 3.6 and Gemini 3.1 Pro would leave that selector. The October 9 date is the reported schedule for the change.
Separate reporting also described the Gemini app’s usage allowance as compute-based, renewing every five hours and subject to a weekly cap. A low-, medium-, or high-effort selector was described as forthcoming; higher effort consumes more of the allowance.
Separate reported changes to Google AI Plus and Pro
Google AI Plus subscribers were also reported to be set to lose access to Gemini 3.1 Pro. Separately, Google AI Pro was reported to include Deep Think, a reasoning feature previously described as exclusive to Google AI Ultra.
Gemini app access is different from API quotas
The reported change concerns which models users can select in the consumer Gemini app. The Gemini API serves developers and uses quotas measured in requests per minute, tokens per minute, and requests per day. Those API limits apply to developer requests, not to the models offered in the consumer app.
