Request to Restore Restricted Gemini API Access — Aqua Synergy (403 Error)

Gemini API
1

Hello Google Gemini API Support Team,

I am requesting assistance in reviewing and restoring access to my Google Cloud project, which is currently marked as Restricted in Google AI Studio.

Project Information:

  • Project Name: Aqua Synergy

  • Google Cloud Project ID: aqua-synergy

  • Billing Tier: Unavailable

  • Project Status: Restricted

  • AI Model Configured: gemini-3.8-flash

Issue:

I am developing an educational IoT aquaponics application called AquaSynergy, which uses Firebase AI Logic and Gemini API to power an AI assistant named Arbots AI.

The assistant is designed to help users analyze images and answer questions about fish health, pond water conditions, and lettuce cultivation.

I have already:

  • Enabled the Gemini Developer API in Firebase AI Logic.

  • Registered my Android application with Firebase App Check using Play Integrity.

  • Configured my Android application with Firebase.

  • Enabled Firebase AI Logic App Check enforcement.

However, whenever I try to use the AI assistant, the request fails with the following error:

403 PERMISSION_DENIED — Your project has been denied access.

Google AI Studio also shows that my project is Restricted and its billing tier is Unavailable.

My Request:

Could you please review my project’s restriction and explain why access was denied?

I would like to restore access to the Gemini API and continue using the available free tier for my educational IoT aquaponics project.

If there is an appeal, verification, or additional requirement, please guide me through the necessary steps.

Thank you for your assistance.

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2

Hello @John_Peter_Arbotante ,

Getting a 403 API error response and / or seeing “Unavailable” next to your project in AI audio indicates a flag has been placed on your account. To proceed:

If you’re on the free tier with no billing attached, please try the below steps:

  1. Check Model Availability & Rate Limits:

    • Ensure that the model you are requesting is available on your current plan. For example, not all models are available on the free tier. You can verify model availability, quotas, and limits on the AI Studio Rate Limit dashboard.

  2. Ensure you have completed age verification by navigating to Google Account Age Verification and verifying date of birth in Google Account Personal Info.

  3. Once age verification is configured, retry your request or create a new API key in Google AI Studio.

  4. If completing these steps still does not restore access (or if using a model requiring a paid tier), you might want to consider adding prepayment credits directly in Google AI Studio and/ or attaching a Google Cloud Billing account in the Google Cloud Console. Please note this will mean you lose your free tier quota.