Google has recently updated its support page, announcing that starting October 9, it will adjust the access and usage restrictions for the Gemini model on personal accounts, tightening the model configuration for lower-tier users..
According to the new regulations, users who do not pay will only be able to access the Gemini 3.5-Flash-Lite version and will no longer have the ability to call the Gemini 3.6 Flash and newer models.;Users with a $4.99 AI Plus subscription will have their usage limited to the Flash and Flash-Lite lightweight models, and will no longer support advanced reasoning models such as Gemini 3.1 Pro..
This adjustment does not affect Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, who start at $19.99 per month, as they still enjoy the Deep Think option and the right to use advanced models..
In addition to downgrading model classifications, Google has also introduced three levels of workload (Effort) modes: low, medium, and high. The system will deduct usage in real-time based on the computational complexity of the task, with higher workload modes consuming quotas more quickly.。Background information shows that Google has recently started testing the new Gemini 4 "Argon" model in a closed environment and continues to frequently iterate on lightweight models such as Gemini 3.8 Flash.。
With the increasing costs of cutting-edge model inference and high concurrency computing loads, leading AI companies are gradually ending the "high-spec free trial" phase.Google's recent tiered and detailed quota control shifts high-computing models toward high-value paying users, marking a new stage in commercial large model applications, moving from "user scale expansion" to "fine-tuned operation of computing power economic benefits.".
