Phones
Free Gemini users now limited to 'Auto' model selection
9to5Google reports that free-tier users can no longer manually pick Gemini models; only the automatic selector remains.
Google is rolling out a significant change to the Gemini app for free-tier users, according to 9to5Google. Users without a paid plan can no longer manually switch between models in the model picker. The only option now available is "Auto" with "Gemini 3 models."
Under this system, Google says the app will automatically choose the best model for each prompt. "Most prompts will go to Flash-Lite, our fastest model," the company explained. "Prompts that need deeper reasoning may go to Flash or Pro."
If a user turns off smart model selection, all chats will default to Flash-Lite. 9to5Google notes that the change appears to be rolling out quickly, with most free accounts already seeing the new option.
Alongside this update, Google is also introducing new "thinking levels" that replace the previous "Extended" option. These three levels align with Google Antigravity and AI Studio, and will be available to all subscribers, though the rollout is still in progress.
The source also reports that Google AI Plus users will soon be limited to Flash-Lite and Flash models, further narrowing model choices across tiers.
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