Gemini Usage Limits Trigger User Frustration After Google Update
Google’s latest changes to Gemini usage limits are drawing criticism from users shortly after the company unveiled a major slate of AI announcements during I/O 2026.
The update introduces compute-based usage limits for Gemini, marking a significant shift in how access to the AI platform is managed. Previously, many users rarely encountered strict limitations. However, the new system now factors in prompt complexity, chat length, and the type of features being used.
As a result, resource-intensive tasks such as video generation, coding prompts, and advanced reasoning requests consume usage allowances more quickly than simple text queries.
New Compute-Based Limits Introduced
Google said the revised structure offers “a better way to allocate limits” because different prompts require varying levels of computational power.
Under the updated system, users now face both weekly usage caps and rolling limits that refresh every five hours. Consequently, heavier Gemini users may find themselves reaching restrictions much faster than before.
The company also revised how usage tiers are presented across its subscription plans. The AI Plus plan, priced at $7.99 per month, now offers double the limits of the free tier. Meanwhile, the $19.99 AI Pro plan provides four times the free-tier limits.
Higher-end AI Ultra plans further expand access, offering five times and 20 times the Pro plan’s limits for $100 and $200 per month respectively.
Previously, Google described premium plans with broader terms such as “more” or “higher” limits without specifying exact multipliers.
Users Criticise Reduced Value
Google informed subscribers about the changes through an email distributed before the rollout took effect on May 20.
In the message, the company stated that Gemini app limits would now depend on prompt complexity, features used, and chat duration. It also highlighted that AI Pro subscribers receive four times the usage allowance compared to free users.
However, early reactions online suggest many users remain dissatisfied with the new approach.
Some critics argue that Google’s messaging focuses too heavily on comparisons with the free tier rather than acknowledging that paid subscribers previously enjoyed higher unrestricted access. Others believe the pricing structure now offers weaker value, especially since the AI Plus plan appears to provide more usage efficiency per dollar than AI Pro.
In addition, several users object to the tighter restrictions themselves, viewing the update as a downgrade despite similar trends emerging across the broader AI industry.
Growing AI Demand Pressures Infrastructure
The stricter limits arrive as AI platforms face rising pressure from rapidly growing adoption and infrastructure demands. Expanding AI services require enormous computing resources, while global shortages of specialised AI hardware continue to affect providers.
Against this backdrop, Google’s decision to introduce stricter controls does not come as a complete surprise. Nevertheless, the change represents a major adjustment for long-time Gemini users accustomed to more flexible access.
Google has partially responded to concerns by permanently increasing rate limits in Antigravity by three times.
Meanwhile, users have also pointed to Gemini 3.5 Flash as a contributing factor behind the tighter restrictions. Early reports indicate that the newer Flash model consumes substantially more resources than previous versions, with even single prompts reportedly using noticeable portions of five-hour usage allocations.
With inputs from Reuters