Account only generates AQ. prefix API keys - AIza keys not available in any project

Gemini API
1

Hello. I have a Google Cloud account with billing enabled. I created an API key in Google AI Studio for my project myFace. However, the generated key starts with IQ..., not AIza... as stated in your documentation. When I try to use it with the google-generativeai library or the new google-genai SDK, I get an error: API key not valid.

Could you please clarify:

  1. Is the IQ... key format correct for the Gemini API?

  2. If not, how can I obtain a key starting with AIza... for the same project that already has a prepaid balance?

  3. Do I need to enable the API in a different section of the console?

Thank you.

2

We are moving away from Traffic keys (Alza) and towards a more secure Authentication Key (AQ). AI Studio will now only generate Authentication Key (AQ) keys. More information on key usage can be found in the Using Gemini API keys documentation.

Please submit any compatibility issues with services / SDKs etc. in this form for our engineering team to review. Thanks!