Free Gemini changes: Google moves no-plan accounts to "Auto" and removes manual model switching
Redacción IvokaOct 10, 10:54 AM 3 min
If you use Gemini without a paid plan, you can no longer pick the model by hand: the picker only shows "Auto." Sources disagree on whether Google can route free prompts to Flash or Pro, or limits them to Flash-Lite.
If you use Gemini's free plan to write copy, come up with content ideas, or answer customers, this affects you. According to 9to5Google, Google is rolling out a change in the app: people without an AI plan can no longer switch models manually. The picker only shows "Auto" with Gemini 3 models. WION reports the change applies from October 9, 2026.
What "Auto" means
According to Google, as quoted by 9to5Google, Gemini sends each prompt to the model that suits it best. Most prompts will go to Flash-Lite, its fastest model, and prompts that need deeper reasoning may go to Flash or Pro. If smart model selection is turned off, accounts without a plan will use Flash-Lite for all responses.
The sources differ here: WION describes free users as getting access to the Flash-Lite models from October 9, without mentioning that Auto may send prompts to Flash or Pro. There is no official confirmation that resolves the difference, so it is not possible to say for certain whether free accounts can reach Flash or Pro in some cases.
Who keeps what
According to WION, AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers keep every model (Flash-Lite, Flash and Pro). AI Plus subscribers keep Flash-Lite and Flash but lose access to Pro.
What's new: effort levels
According to 9to5Google, the app also introduces three "effort levels" that replace the "Extended" option and align with thinking levels in Google AI Studio and Antigravity. WION describes them as low, medium and high. They will be available to all subscribers and are rolling out now.
What to do
If you use Gemini for free, check how it handles your usual tasks in "Auto" mode. If your work depends on deeper answers, such as analyzing a long document or building a complex proposal, test those tasks and see whether the results are still good enough or whether a paid plan makes sense.
If what you need is to write emails or summarize long documents without depending on which model you get, Ivoka's apps can help with those tasks.
