Poll: Nearly 60% of readers call Google's Gemini tier downgrade unfair
An Android Authority reader poll found that, of more than 3,300 votes, just under 60% considered it unfair that Google pulled previously available Gemini model access from lower tiers. Google said earlier this month it would limit access to newer AI models for non-subscribers: the $4.99/month AI Plus tier now gets only Flash and Flash Lite models with Pro out of reach, free users lose access to newer Gemini models, and AI Pro and Ultra subscribers are unaffected; the change took effect last Friday. About 25% said the downgrade was fair only for free users but that AI Plus subscribers should have been spared, just under 13% said it was fair because “it’s a business,” and 3.3% commented. Some readers complained about losing benefits they had paid for and said they would not renew, while others criticized Gemini's answer quality versus ChatGPT.
It shows how pricing changes that remove previously included AI access can erode subscriber trust and retention.