Google has altered the subscription tiers for its Gemini Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant, and users are not happy.
The US tech firm's paid subscriptions unlock more advanced AI models, higher usage limits, and more creative and productivity tools with Gemini. While anyone can test-out Gemini, you'll need a Google AI Pro plan (£15.49/month) if you want Gemini to be able to access information stored in Google apps and up to 5TB of cloud storage — something that might become more tempting as Google scales-back its free allowance.
Google AI Ultra (starting from £79.99 – £189.99) is the premium tier with the highest limits, advanced reasoning features, premium video generation tools, and up to 30 TB storage for heavy or professional use.
During its keynote at the Google I/O developer conference, the search firm announced plans to reduce its Ultra tier, dropping from its maximum price of £249.99/month down to the new price of £189.99.
While that might sound like good news — and a saving of £720 each year! — it wasn't the only shake-up with these paid plans. Google also introduced stricter limitations for both subscription levels. And subscribers to both the Pro and Ultra plans are reinforcing this by voicing that they reach their usage caps far more rapidly than previously.
Gemini is Google's AI assistant that can help answer various queries and has been integrated across Chrome, Gmail, Maps, and more
| GOOGLE PRESS OFFICEFor starters, Google introduced a five-hour restriction window as part of the new system. Once users hit their limit within a cycle, they find themselves locked out until the period resets. A weekly cap also applies across these rolling windows.
Google said in a statement on a support page: "Gemini Apps have compute-based usage limits that determine how much you can interact with Gemini tools and features.
"These limits factor in the complexity of your prompt, the models and features you use, and the length of your chat. Your limit refreshes every 5 hours until you reach your weekly limit.
"You can upgrade to a Google AI plan for expanded access to features and models in Gemini Apps. Gemini Apps upgrades are part of select Google One paid plans for personal accounts."
Online forums dedicated to the service have received some complaints from disgruntled users. Users have also taken to Reddit to air their frustrations. Many report that the tightened restrictions are significantly hampering their ability to utilise the AI assistant effectively.
One user wrote: "I am pissed. I am using Gemini as a wrapper for a trilogy of books I am writing.
"To edit repetitive words in chapters, scan for cohesion, scanning to see if the subversion i have written in is actually working etc. Other times I would talk to it all day planning chapters of the book before I would sit down to write prose."
from GeminiAI
from GeminiAI
from GeminiAI
from GeminiAI
The personalisation feature has also been identified as a factor that significantly affects usage allowances.
One subscriber revealed they cancelled their Pro membership after burning through half of their permitted usage with merely five exchanges with the chatbot. This rapid depletion has left many questioning the value of their paid plans.
These new limits arrive as Google confirms its recent unveilings like Gmail Live and Gemini Spark, which could have users go up against the restrictions much more quickly.
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Further frustration stems from reports that Gemini automatically switches users to the less capable Flash model — the tool that determines quality of responsiveness and speed — when demand peaks, even when they have specifically selected the Pro version.
Compounding the frustration, numerous subscribers claim they received no notification about these alterations to their plans. The lack of communication has particularly irked those who feel blindsided by the sudden restrictions. Users have claimed they were left entirely in the dark.
However, some account holders did receive correspondence outlining the new compute limits and modifications to the credit system.
Google isn't the only tech firm to enforce time-based restrictions. ChatGPT Plus has limits of up to 160 messages that reset every 3 hours. Claude Pro offers a rolling 5-hour session and a weekly cap.