Free Gemini app users limited to 'Auto' model picker as thinking levels roll out
Google is rolling out a change to the Gemini app for users on the free plan: those without a plan can no longer switch models, and the only option in the model picker is "Auto" with "Gemini 3 models." Google says most prompts will go to the fastest model, Flash-Lite, while prompts needing deeper reasoning may go to Flash or Pro; if smart model selection is off, all chats for users without a plan use Flash-Lite. New thinking levels (Low, Medium, High) replace the previous "Extended" option and are available to all subscribers, matching Google Antigravity and AI Studio; per 9to5Google, Google's support documentation referred to the free-tier model as (3.5) Flash-Lite, and Google AI Plus users will soon be limited to Flash-Lite and (3.8) Flash.
It shows Google shifting model choice to automatic routing, so free-tier quality and reasoning depth depend more on the system than on the user.