💼 Google to Cut Free Gemini to Flash-Lite
Starting October 9, 2026, free Gemini users will only have Flash-Lite — Flash (3.6) and Pro (3.1) will disappear. AI Plus ($4.99/mo) will keep Flash-Lite and Flash. AI Pro ($19.99/mo) and Ultra will retain all three models, and AI Pro will get Deep Think for the first time.
🌍 For the first time, Google is separating tiers by model class, not just by limits: free users are left with only the lightest model in the lineup. Free access to flagships is being rolled back — similar to Anthropic's paid Claude Opus 5.5.
👤 Complex tasks on Pro should be completed by October 9: beyond that, the free context is limited to approximately 32,000 tokens. The limit can be seen in gemini.google.com → Settings → Usage Limits. For simple queries, there will be almost no difference from Flash-Lite.
Source 1: https://9to5google.com/2026/10/03/gemini-model-limits-oct-26/ Source 2: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Google-Gemini-drops-Flash-and-Pro-for-free-users-on-October-9.1415964.0.html