According to Android Police, Google has significantly reduced Gemini 3 access for free users just weeks after its early November launch. Free users previously got up to 5 prompts daily with Gemini 3 Pro and 3 images from Nano Banana Pro, but now face unpredictable “Basic access” where “daily limits may change frequently.” Nano Banana Pro image generation drops to just 2 images per day, while Google AI Pro subscribers maintain 100 prompts and 100 images daily. The company has also temporarily rolled back NotebookLM’s new Infographics and Slide Decks feature for free users. Google warns these restrictions may persist through the holiday season until early January due to massive server load.
The Real Cost of AI Hype
Here’s the thing about these AI rollouts – everyone wants to be first to market, but nobody wants to pay for the infrastructure. Google basically launched Gemini 3 knowing they’d have to throttle it immediately. And they’re not alone in this pattern. Remember when ChatGPT kept crashing during peak hours? Same story.
The “Basic access” language is particularly concerning. When a company says limits “may change frequently,” what they really mean is “we’ll cut you off whenever it’s convenient for us.” For anyone trying to do actual work with these tools, that unpredictability makes them practically useless. How can you plan a workflow when your access might vanish mid-sentence?
The Subscription Squeeze
Now look at the paid tiers. Google AI Pro costs $20 monthly for 100 prompts, while Ultra runs $200 for 500 prompts. That’s a massive jump, and it feels suspiciously like artificial scarcity. Create overwhelming demand, then offer the “solution” at premium prices.
And let’s talk about that NotebookLM rollback. They dangled this shiny new feature powered by Nano Banana Pro, then yanked it away from free users almost immediately. It’s becoming clear that the free tier is essentially a demo version – good for a quick test drive, but completely unreliable for anything serious.
What This Means for AI Accessibility
This situation raises bigger questions about AI’s future accessibility. If even Google – with its massive infrastructure – can’t handle free tier demand, what does that say about sustainable AI access for regular users? We’re watching AI become another subscription service where the best capabilities are locked behind paywalls.
The timing is also telling. Rolling this out right before the holidays when usage typically spikes? That feels calculated. They get to blame “high demand” while pushing more users toward paid plans. I suspect we’ll see similar patterns across other AI providers as compute costs continue to balloon.
Basically, if you were hoping to seriously use Gemini 3 for free, you’re probably out of luck. The message is clear: pay up or get used to being the lowest priority. You can check the official Gemini support page for the latest limits, though as Google warns, they’re changing constantly. 9to5Google first spotted these changes, and they perfectly illustrate the current state of consumer AI – amazing technology, but increasingly reserved for those who can afford it.
