From 9 October, free Gemini app users default to “Auto”, which sends most prompts to Flash-Lite

Google's Gemini Apps Help page “Changes to Gemini model access and limits” sets out a change for people who use the Gemini app without paying. “These changes will start to take effect for users without an AI subscription on October 9th,” it says.

The page describes the new default: “Auto will be the default setting for users without a Google AI plan.” Under Auto, “Most prompts will go to Flash-Lite, our fastest model.” And: “Prompts that need deeper reasoning may go to Flash or Pro.” A user who switches the automatic choice off gets the smallest model every time: “If smart model selection is turned off, chats for users without an AI plan will use Flash-Lite for all responses.”

Press coverage, including Computerworld on 9 October and Android Headlines on 3 October, summarised the change as Pro becoming available only to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers. Google's own wording is narrower: free users can no longer pick Flash or Pro themselves, but Google's router may still send a demanding prompt to them. The per-plan model table on the help page did not come through in the text the beat could read, so the changes for paid tiers are not confirmed here from Google's page.

The change is a way to cut what the free tier costs to serve: the cheapest model becomes the default, and the expensive ones are used only when Google's system decides a prompt needs them.

• Confirmed Google's help page says changes for users without an AI subscription take effect on 9 October, with Auto as the default and most prompts going to Flash-Lite. Google Gemini Apps Help
• Confirmed The same page says prompts that need deeper reasoning may go to Flash or Pro, and that with smart model selection off, free users get Flash-Lite for all responses. Google Gemini Apps Help
• Reported Android Headlines reported on 3 October that free and AI Plus users would lose access to some Gemini models. Android Headlines