Gemini API Project Restricted – Free Tier Unavailable Despite Phone Verification

Gemini API
1

Hello Google AI Developers Community,

I am developing a Flutter application called SpeakMate AI using the Gemini API.

My Google AI Studio project currently shows:

  • Project Status: Restricted
  • Billing Tier: Free tier unavailable
  • Billing: Not set up

I have already:

  1. Created a Google Cloud project.
  2. Imported the project into Google AI Studio.
  3. Created a Gemini API key.
  4. Enabled 2-Step Verification.
  5. Verified my phone number.

However, the project is still restricted.

I would like to use the Gemini API Free Tier for development and testing. I am not currently willing to activate paid billing.

Could you please help me understand why my project is restricted and whether my Free Tier eligibility can be reviewed?

Thank you for your help.

2

I have opened multiple support cases similar to this issue and they just keep closing them with no reply. Is this really how what /was/ the leading tech company in the world operates now? So sad.