The Google AI Pro plan just got a quiet downgrade

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

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Google AI Pro now uses a new credit-based quota system instead of fixed Gemini message limits.

Complex Gemini prompts and AI tools can now consume a large chunk of your available usage quota.

The new limits apply across Gemini features inside apps like Google Photos and other Google services.

Gemini was front and center at Google I/O 2026, with the company unveiling a number of new AI-powered features and tools. However, alongside all those announcements, Google also quietly made a change to its $20/month Google AI Pro plan, and not everyone is happy about it.

At I/O 2026, Google introduced a new $100/month Google AI Ultra plan while also reducing the pricing of its higher-end $250 plan down to $200 per month. But quietly alongside that, the company also changed how usage limits work on the standard Google AI Pro plan.

Previously, Google used a more straightforward fixed-message count system for Gemini usage limits. Now, the company is moving to a credit-based system where token usage depends on things like prompt complexity, the features being used, and even the length of conversations.

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Google says paid users will now see a rolling five-hour usage window along with weekly quotas based on how intensive their prompts are. However, many users feel the limits are much lower than before.

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / Android Central)

Some users on Reddit are already calling the new system a scam, with reports of a single prompt consuming around 13% of their quota. Others say certain Gemini AI Plus features can burn through nearly 30% in one go.

The system feels very similar to the usage-based quota approach used by Claude, where more demanding tasks consume more credits. The five-hour quota refreshes automatically, but there's also a stricter weekly cap that users can hit.

Android Central's take

I get why Google is doing this — AI inference isn't cheap. But changing limits this aggressively right after showing off all these flashy Gemini features at I/O feels like pretty poor timing. I personally haven't seen Gemini burn through credits as aggressively as some users are reporting, but I completely understand why people are frustrated.

And importantly, these limits apply across Google's entire Gemini ecosystem, not just the Gemini app itself. So if you're using Gemini features inside apps like Google Photos or other AI-powered Google services, all of that contributes toward the same quota.

You can check these limits directly inside the Gemini app under Settings > Usage limits.

To be fair, Google has added some value elsewhere. The company recently increased cloud storage for subscribers from 2TB to 5TB, which does soften the blow a bit. But for heavier Gemini users, this definitely feels more restrictive than before, and it may push many power users toward the new $100/month Ultra plan.

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