Cover image via Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp for the latest stories and breaking news.
Google has introduced new compute-based usage limits for its Gemini app following the recent I/O 2026 event
According to tech news website 9to5google, the tech giant quietly implemented these restrictions on 20 May, leaving many long-time power users incredibly frustrated by the sudden change.
Instead of a simple message cap, the system now calculates your allowance based on prompt complexity, features, and conversation length.
A straightforward text query will consume far fewer resources than a dense coding prompt, meaning heavier workloads burn through your limits much faster.
While a free tier is still available, the massive restructuring primarily affects paid subscriptions
Users can check their status directly at gemini.google.com/usage to see how much compute power they have remaining under the new rules.
The USD7.99 (RM32) monthly AI Plus plan doubles the free allowance, while the USD19.99 (RM79) AI Pro tier offers four times the basic tier.
For heavy enterprise users, the AI Ultra plans offer five times and 20 times the Pro plan's capacity for USD100 (RM397) and USD200 (RM793) per month, respectively.
Google Gemini subscribers were notified of the change through an email from Google
They received an advisory email explaining: "Usage limits in the Gemini app: For the Gemini app, we're introducing compute-based usage limits that factor in the complexity of your prompt, the features you use, and the length of your chat.
"Your limit refreshes every 5 hours until you reach your weekly limit. As an AI Pro subscriber, you'll enjoy a 4x higher usage limit than non-subscribers."
Early reactions were highly critical, with many arguing that the Pro tier provides less overall value per dollar than the Plus option.
However, with global hardware shortages straining data centres, stricter caps are quickly becoming an inevitable reality across the entire artificial intelligence landscape.
