Issue
Calling gemini-2.5-pro from a newly created GCP project (or a project with no prior usage of this model) returns a 404:
{
“error”: {
“code”: 404,
“message”: “This model models/gemini-2.5-pro is no longer available to new users. Please update your code to use a newer model for the latest features and improvements.”,
“status”: “NOT_FOUND”
}
}
Contradiction with official docs
The model versions and lifecycle page still lists gemini-2.5-pro as available, with a shutdown date of October 16, 2026. There’s no mention anywhere of a separate restriction for new keys/projects.
Questions
Is this “no longer available to new users” restriction intentional and permanent?
What exactly determines “new user” here — API key age, project usage history, or something else?
Could this be documented on the model lifecycle page, so it doesn’t come as a surprise to developers building against the documented shutdown date?
Additional reports
Another user in this related thread reported hitting the same “no longer available to new users” message on a paid account, after losing access to a previous account — even paid users aren’t exempt from this restriction.