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Gemini 2.5 models are now limited to users who have used them before

2026/09/29

With the September 18, 2026 update, the Gemini API offers the 2.5 models only to users who have actively used them in the past⁠[1]. For new projects, Google points to 3.5 Flash-Lite or 3.8 Flash⁠[1].

The deprecations page carries the same restriction and gives the reason as keeping the service reliable for every user⁠[2].

2.5 Pro, 2.5 Flash and 2.5 Flash-Lite have no shutdown date announced yet⁠[2].

The image generation model gemini-2.5-flash-image shuts down on October 2, 2026⁠[2]. Its listed replacement is gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview⁠[2].

The text-to-speech models gemini-2.5-flash-preview-tts and gemini-2.5-pro-preview-tts have no shutdown date either⁠[2]. Their replacements are 3.8 Flash TTS or 3.8 Flash-Lite TTS⁠[2]. Both became generally available on September 22⁠[1].

2.5 Flash-Lite costs $0.10 input and $0.40 output per million tokens⁠[3]. 3.5 Flash-Lite, which Google recommends for new projects, costs $0.30 input and $2.50 output, three times the input rate and 6.25 times the output rate of 2.5 Flash-Lite⁠[3].

Leaving audio aside, 3.5 Flash-Lite has the same rates as 2.5 Flash⁠[3]. 3.8 Flash costs $0.75 input and $3.75 output through December 31, 2026, rising to $1.50 and $7.50 on January 1, 2027⁠[3].