Google One subscribers currently paying for the Google AI Plus tier are losing access to Gemini Pro starting October 9, 2026, as Google phases out its introductory pricing and restricts its advanced model exclusively to higher-cost tiers, googlewatchblog.de reported.
The End of Introductory AI Pricing for Subscribers
For years, Google One subscriptions have bundled expanding perks, most notably enhanced access to the company’s Gemini suite. That preliminary phase of user acquisition has concluded. Google AI Plus, which sits as the entry point among higher Google One tiers, previously granted users access to Gemini Pro alongside expanded usage limits and specific integrations.
Those usage limits and auxiliary features will remain for AI Plus subscribers. However, the underlying model powering the tier is downgrading. Subscribers received notifications this week stating that Gemini Pro vanishes from the AI Plus package on Friday, October 9.
Gemini Pro Now Requires Paid Subscriptions
Moving past the cutoff date, Gemini Pro sits exclusively behind expensive subscriptions. Users must upgrade to either the Google AI Pro or Google AI Ultra plans to retain access to the model. With the Ultra tier priced at over 200 euros per month, the vast majority of consumer users looking to keep Gemini Pro will face the Google AI Pro subscription cost of 21.99 euros per month or 219.99 euros per year.
Users who maintain the inexpensive AI Plus tier retain access only to Gemini Flash. Free users drop down to Gemini Flash Lite.
Google Shifts Infrastructure Costs to Users
The performance gap between these models is substantial. Complex queries and image generation tasks handled by Flash Lite, Flash, and Pro demonstrate distinct capability tiers.
Google is shifting the financial burden of its infrastructure onto users as adoption numbers scale.
