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Free Gemini drops to Flash Lite from October 9, according to The Verge

According to The Verge, people who use Gemini without paying will only be able to choose Flash Lite from October 9. To use Flash, they will need a $4.99-a-month plan, which will also lose Pro.

Published on 7 October 2026, 05:452 min readOnly reported by The VergeWritten with AI · machine-translated

The essentials

4 according to the source · 3 open questions

According to the sourceFrom October 9, free Gemini users will only be able to use the Flash Lite model, according to The Verge.¹
According to the sourceUsing Flash will require Google AI Plus, which costs $4.99 a month.¹
According to the sourceGoogle AI Plus will soon stop including Gemini Pro; Google will email subscribers the date.¹
According to the sourceGemini Pro and Deep Think will be limited to the Google AI Pro and Ultra plans.¹

Why it matters

If confirmed, Google is cutting what it gives away for free and also what its entry-level paid plan includes. The most capable models move to the more expensive plans. This suggests Google is pushing regular users toward the higher-tier subscriptions.

What does it mean for me?

If you use Gemini for free and pick Flash or Pro, from October 9 you will get Flash Lite unless you pay. If you are already on AI Plus, expect an email with the date you will lose Pro.

The details

Until now, free Gemini users could choose between three models: Flash Lite, Flash and Pro. According to The Verge, from October 9 they will only have the first one.¹

The standard Flash model will require Google AI Plus, a subscription that costs $4.99 a month. But that plan is also getting worse: it will soon stop including Gemini Pro. Google says it will email AI Plus subscribers to tell them when they lose that access.¹

After the changes, Gemini Pro and the advanced reasoning option "Deep Think" will be reserved for people on the Google AI Pro or Ultra plans, according to The Verge.¹

What we don't know

Exactly when the AI Plus plan will lose Pro: Google only says it will notify subscribers by email.
Whether the changes are the same in Spain and the rest of Europe: the source does not say.
How much the Google AI Pro and Ultra plans cost, which does not appear in the available excerpt.

Sources

1Google is about to remove free access to Gemini Flash and ProThe Verge · News outlet · 6 October 2026

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