Google is downgrading Gemini for users on budget plans

Starting October 9, Google is cutting access to newer Gemini models for free and AI Plus subscribers. Google is downgrading Gemini for users on budget plans. Google says free users will only be able to access Gemini 3.1-Flash-Lite anymore, while Plus subscribers will not have access to Gemini 3.1 Pro.

Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers get the same perks as before. Google has been rolling out iterative updates to its lightweight Gemini models almost every month, including Gemini 3.8 Flash in September. While there’s no word on Gemini 3.9 Flash, Google has already started testing Gemini 4 “Argon” in closed quarters before releasing it to the wider user base.

It’s also when Google might release the first advanced reasoning model since Gemini 3.1 Pro. But before that release, Google is tugging the reins on usage across different subscription tiers and going after limits again.