# Gemini App Model Access: Free, AI Plus, AI Pro and Ultra Changes
> Google's help page confirms free Gemini users go to Flash-Lite only from Oct 9, AI Plus loses Pro and AI Pro gains Deep Think. Tier table with US prices.
Google has published a Gemini Apps Help page titled "Changes to Gemini model access and limits." It says model choice in the Gemini app will depend on the plan: people without a Google AI plan keep only Flash-Lite, AI Plus keeps Flash-Lite and Flash, and AI Pro and AI Ultra keep all three models, and both get the Deep Think option. 9to5Google reported the update on October 3, and TechRadar cited it as its source. This report puts Google's new page next to the plan, limit and Deep Think pages Google still shows, tier by tier, as we read them on October 5.
## TL;DR
- **Free users: Flash-Lite only, from October 9.** For people with no AI subscription, Google's page says the changes "will start to take effect" on October 9. After that, the Flash and Pro models are not in the free column.
- **AI Plus ($4.99 a month in the US) loses Pro.** Plus keeps Flash-Lite and Flash. Google gives no date; it says Plus users "should receive an email" explaining when the change applies to them.
- **AI Pro ($19.99) gets Deep Think.** Google's new page says AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers will "also have access to the Deep Think option." It gives no start date for AI Pro, and Google's Deep Think help page still lists AI Ultra as a requirement.
## What happened
The new help page opens with "Starting in October 2026, there will be changes to model availability for Gemini Apps when you use a personal account." The page does not describe work or school accounts. The page then gives a model table for "after these changes take effect" and two tips: each available model will get a low, medium or high effort setting, and AI Pro and AI Ultra get Deep Think.
The same page keeps a "Previous changes" section on the compute-based limits that started May 17, 2026 for users over 18 and July 24 for users under 18. Those limits refresh every 5 hours up to a weekly cap. Google lists the Pro model, Extended thinking and Deep Think among the "premium" options that "require more usage and may cause you to reach your limit faster."
9to5Google, TechRadar and Android Headlines all reported the change from the help page. TechRadar told affected readers to look for a message in the app or in their inbox.
## What Google's pages say, tier by tier
The table pairs the new page with Google's other pages as they stood on October 5. "Before" is what Google's limits page and US subscriptions page still show; "after" is Google's new table.
| Plan (US price, per Google) | Models before | Models after the change | Deep Think | Usage limit | Context window | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No plan ($0) | Flash-Lite, Flash, Pro ("Varying access to 3.1 Pro") | Flash-Lite only | No | Standard | 32k tokens | "Start to take effect" October 9 |
| AI Plus ($4.99/month) | Flash-Lite, Flash, Pro | Flash-Lite, Flash | No | 2x standard | 128k tokens | Date sent by email |
| AI Pro ($19.99/month) | Flash-Lite, Flash, Pro | Flash-Lite, Flash, Pro | Added, per new page | 4x standard | 1 million tokens | No date stated for Deep Think |
| AI Ultra ($99.99 or $199.99/month) | Flash-Lite, Flash, Pro | Flash-Lite, Flash, Pro | Yes (unchanged) | 5x or 20x AI Pro | 1 million tokens | No change |
Prices are Google's US list prices on its subscriptions page. TechRadar gives the AI Plus price as £4.49 in the UK and AU$7.99 in Australia. The usage multiples and context windows come from Google's limits page, which does not say whether either changes with the October update.
After the change, AI Pro at $19.99 is the lowest US price that includes the Pro model and Deep Think in Google's tables. Source: Google Gemini subscriptions (US); Gemini Apps Help, read Oct 5, 2026.
Several pages have not caught up yet, and Google has left some questions open:
- **Older pages still list the old access.** On October 5, Google's limits page still marks Flash-Lite, Flash and Pro "Yes" for every plan and describes Deep Think as "AI Ultra only." Its US subscriptions page still lists "Access to 3.6 Flash" and "Varying access to 3.1 Pro" under Free. The Deep Think help page still asks for an AI Ultra subscription and an age of 18 or older.
- **No model versions on the new page.** Google's table says Flash-Lite, Flash and Pro without version numbers. 9to5Google identified them as 3.5 Flash-Lite, 3.6 Flash and 3.1 Pro; Google's own subscriptions page names 3.6 Flash and 3.1 Pro.
- **No Deep Think date or limits for AI Pro.** Google says AI Pro will have the option but not when it arrives or how much of the AI Pro limit it uses.
- **No date for AI Plus.** Google says only that Plus users will get an email.
- **No price change stated.** Nothing on the new page mentions prices.
## Background
Until this page, Google's release notes described its Pro and Flash models as open to every app user. They say Gemini 3 Pro was "rolling out to everyone" in the app on November 18, 2025. On February 19, 2026, Google said Gemini 3.1 Pro was rolling out globally, "with higher limits" for AI Pro and Ultra. Gemini 3.6 Flash followed on July 21, which Google said it was bringing "to all Gemini app users globally."
Deep Think has been limited to AI Ultra since August 1, 2025, when Google gave Ultra subscribers "early, limited access to Gemini 2.5 Deep Think." On December 4, 2025, Google brought Gemini 3 Deep Think to Ultra and described it as a mode that explores "multiple hypotheses simultaneously." Google's Deep Think help page calls it "an experimental capability" that Google may "discontinue or suspend" at any time, and says responses can take a few minutes. Google added a $100 Ultra plan in May; its US page now lists Ultra at $99.99 (5x AI Pro's limits) or $199.99 (20x).
Google said Gemini 3 Pro was rolling out to everyone in the app in November 2025; from October 9 the free tier keeps only Flash-Lite. Source: Gemini Apps release notes; Gemini Apps Help, read Oct 5, 2026.
Gemini 4 Argon is not on the new page. Google said on September 30 that paid API customers and AI Ultra subscribers are next in line for Argon, with no date; see our [Gemini 4 Argon report](/blog/google-gemini-4-argon-launch/). 9to5Google noted that Google has not said whether Argon will count as a Pro model or sit in a new tier.
Context windows also differ by plan. Google's limits page lists 32k tokens without a plan, 128k on AI Plus and 1 million on AI Pro and Ultra, and gives 1,500 pages of text or 30,000 lines of code as the upper bound of what 1 million tokens can hold.
The context window is about 31 times larger on AI Pro than without a plan (our arithmetic, taking 1 million as 1,000k). Source: Gemini Apps Help, limits and upgrades page, read Oct 5, 2026.
Gemini is made by Google, part of Alphabet; see our [Alphabet company hub](/company/alphabet/) and more coverage in [Tech and security](/category/tech-security/).
## What could go right / What could go wrong
**What could go right**
- AI Pro subscribers would get Deep Think without moving to a $99.99 or $199.99 Ultra plan, if it reaches them as the new page describes.
- Google says the new effort levels will let users of each available model trade more of their limit for "more thorough answers."
**What could go wrong**
- Free users lose Flash and Pro starting October 9, and Google's limits page says free users may be limited first when capacity changes.
- AI Plus subscribers keep paying $4.99 in the US for a plan that will no longer include Pro, with no date given ahead of the email.
- Until Google updates its limits, subscriptions and Deep Think pages, they contradict the new page, and Google says on the limits page: "Gemini Apps limits may change."
## FAQ
Q Is Gemini Pro still free?
A Not after the change. Google's help page says users without a Google AI plan will have only Flash-Lite, with the change starting to take effect on October 9, 2026. Flash and Pro remain in the AI Plus, Pro and Ultra columns, except that Plus loses Pro.
Q What models does Google AI Plus include after the change?
A Flash-Lite and Flash, per Google's new model table. Pro is removed. Google says Plus subscribers should get an email explaining when the change takes effect for them.
Q Does Google AI Pro get Deep Think?
A Google's new page says AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers will also have access to the Deep Think option. It does not give a date for AI Pro, and as of October 5 Google's Deep Think help page still requires an AI Ultra subscription.
Q How much do Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra cost?
A Google's US subscriptions page lists AI Plus at $4.99 a month, AI Pro at $19.99 and AI Ultra at $99.99 (5x AI Pro limits) or $199.99 (20x). Google has not announced price changes alongside the model changes.
Q When do the Gemini free tier changes start?
A For accounts with no AI subscription, Google says the changes will start to take effect on October 9, 2026. For AI Plus, Google says the date will come by email.
