Google's Gemini Extended Thinking feature rolls out free to all users across platforms

One of Gemini's best features is now free to everyone

Outside of the office, Josh can be found digging into the latest video games, fantasy books, or tinkering with the newest features in Windows. * Extended Thinking now available free in Gemini 3.5 Flash/Flash‑lite for deeper, slower reasoning on complex prompts. * Use Extended Thinking for research, troubleshooting, comparisons and learning -- switch to Standard for simple tasks. * Toggle Extended per chat and avoid using it for image/video generation to save your daily usage. Not every question needs an instant answer. Sometimes, it's better to take a moment and think through the problem before responding. That's exactly what Gemini's Extended Thinking does, and now everyone can use it, even without a subscription. Gemini isn't as useless as it was when you tried it two years ago AI that I first despised is now my Google Assistant replacement. Posts 3 By Keval Shukla Gemini's smartest upgrade just got easier to access Extending Thinking is better for some things, worse for others Google originally introduced its Extended Thinking models as part of its broader push into AI reasoning. Instead of immediately generating a response, Extended Thinking and reasoning models spend additional time working through a problem before answering, which often leads to more accurate and detailed results for complex prompts. There's a lot that goes into how reasoning models work compared to non-reasoning, but the basic gist comes down to how much effort is put forward in the research phase. The higher powered reasoning feature can now be enabled when using Gemini 3.5 Flash or Gemini 3.5 Flash-lite, allowing free users to access a tool that was previously associated with premium AI experiences. The difference will be the most noticeable when you're asking Gemini to do more complex things. If you're researching a topic, comparing products, troubleshooting a technical problem, or trying to learn a new skill, then Extended Thinking will give the AI more time to reason through the request before responding. (via Android Authority) This is the kind of AI feature that should be free Too many companies hide the best features behind a paywall One of the biggest reasons this change is exciting is because it gives those without a paid Gemini subscription a chance to see what the AI model is capable of. Since finding the best AI chatbot for your needs can be tough, I think this move opens the door for Gemini to potentially pull in some more people. However, you'll want to be sure you don't squander the usage that you get every day while using it. Because while Extended Thinking can be really useful, it's just not needed for a lot of the functionality you might put into Gemini. That means you'll want to avoid using it on chats that don't actually require deeper reasoning -- so if you're just asking Gemini to set up a timer or any other simple thing, be sure you have it set to Standard thinking instead. To activate and start using Extended Thinking, you first need to access Gemini through the app or on the website. Then, select where it says the current model of Gemini in the bottom right portion of the chat window. Find the Thinking section and then expand it to see Standard and Extended. Subscribe to the newsletter for Gemini Extended Thinking insights Curious about Gemini's Extended Thinking? Subscribing to the newsletter provides clear, focused coverage on this feature: practical tips on when to use Extended Thinking, how to switch modes, and how to preserve usage. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Keep in mind that selecting one or the other will leave the option at that for the rest of the chat, so if you don't want to use up all of your usage in one go, make sure to turn off Extended when you no longer need it. I also don't recommend using Extended for generating any images or videos, as both of those functions will eat up your usage pool, too.

Gemini Is Now Capable of 'Extended Thinking' Before Providing Answers

Thinking levels are rolling out to the iOS and Android Gemini app Google has started rolling out thinking levels for multiple Gemini AI models across platforms, including the Android and iOS apps, a company executive has announced. The new modes are available to all paid and free users in select global markets, including India. The Gemini app now features up to three thinking levels, depending on the Gemini 3.5 and 3.1 series models. The list of levels also includes a new "Extended Thinking" mode, which lets Gemini take more time before providing an AI-generated answer to users. According to reports, this is expected to improve the quality of responses the Gemini app provides. Gemini's Thinking Level Upgrade Now Available Across Platforms On Wednesday, Google VP of Gemini and AI Studio, Josh Woodward, announced in a post on X that the Mountain View-based AI giant has started rolling out thinking levels for the browser, iOS, and Android versions of the Gemini app. The new thinking modes are available for the Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, Gemini 3.5 Flash, and Gemini 3.1 Pro models. Gadgets 360 staff members were able to verify that Gemini's thinking levels are available for all paid and free users in India. The three Gemini models have two thinking levels as standard. However, in the video shared by the Google executive, the Gemini 3.1 Pro model is shown to feature a third thinking level, dubbed Deep Think, which Google claims offers maximum parallel reasoning. Announced earlier this year, on February 12, the Deep Think is currently only accessible to Google AI Ultra subscribers. Meanwhile, Google says that the Standard thinking level is capable of answering "most questions". On the other hand, the new "Extended Thinking" mode, according to Google, is best suited for "complex problem-solving". As the name suggests, with Extended Thinking, Gemini AI will take more time than usual to provide results. According to an Android Authority report, Gemini's new Extended Thinking is expected (but not guaranteed) to generate better responses and more in-depth analysis. This comes days after the tech giant hosted its annual developer conference, Google I/O 2026. During the keynote presentation, the company showcased various new updates for the Gemini app, including the new Gemini 3.5 series. The first of the new lineup, namely Gemini 3.5 Flash, is currently available across platforms. However, the company plans to introduce the Gemini 3.5 Pro, which will succeed the current Gemini 3.1 Pro model, later this month.