Gemini app + AI Mode default switched from Gemini 3 Flash to 3.5 Flash with no in-app notice
At Google I/O 2026, Google made Gemini 3.5 Flash the new default model behind the Gemini app (900M MAU) and AI Mode in Google Search (1B+ MAU) globally. The prior default was Gemini 3 Flash, which had held that spot since December 17, 2025. No proactive user-facing notice accompanied the swap. Google's developer migration documentation explicitly states the new model is 'more expensive than Gemini 3 Flash Preview.'
Gemini did not respond inside the 30-day window. This receipt now reads as uncontested in the public record.
Receipt category is model-swap, not price-increase: the consumer-tier model behind a stable product label was substituted overnight.
Receipt category is model-swap, not price-increase: the consumer-tier model behind a stable product label was substituted overnight. Severity major because the swap affects ~2B consumer users on surfaces where no model-version inspection is available. The companion API-side change is filed separately at gemini-2026-05-19-3-5-flash-tier-added. PENDING EVIDENCE: archive snapshots of Google's announcement and developer migration doc not yet captured; Google PR has not been contacted (24-48hr right-of-reply window).
Easiest way to run a local LLM. Pair with Open WebUI for full ChatGPT replacement.
The default ChatGPT-replacement self-host. Massive ecosystem.
Permissive (MIT) open-weight model targeting ChatGPT/Claude-class chat and agentic coding without API lock-in - the strongest open option for a self-hosted stack.
Drop-in open-weight replacement for the OpenAI/Anthropic chat APIs. Flash is the locally-runnable variant; serve it behind Open WebUI.