Deep Research could be the next Gemini feature to hit free users, per report

Google Gemini app on Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

What you need to know

One Android code sleuth is reporting that Deep Research could become available as a free Gemini feature in the future.
Google has shown a trend of bringing Gemini Advanced features to free users after a delay.
Deep Research is a popular feature that aims to cut down the time it takes to research a topic online.

Gemini Advanced offers additional capabilities beyond the free version, including higher rate limits and token counts, but many Advanced features typically hit free users eventually. Ahead of a paid feature going free, we usually see hints in the code strings of the Gemini or Google apps. In an APK teardown, Android Authority's resident code sleuth AssembleDebug thinks there's evidence Deep Research could become available in limited fashion for free users.

In version 16.8.31 of the Google app, Android Authority reports that code strings point to "a 'freemium' version of the tool" becoming available for free users in the future. Like with document uploads and file analysis, Android Authority predicts that there could be rate limits or other limitations for the free version compared to the Gemini Advanced experience. The site didn't share the exact code strings that hint at Deep Research going free.

New use cases for AI are popping up all the time, but online researching is a big one that has emerged of late. Google introduced Deep Research for Gemini last year, and it became popular quickly. OpenAI followed up with Deep Research for ChatGPT last month in response to the craze. Both features aim to cut down the time it takes to research for a project or paper.

Running Gemini Advanced on a Google Pixel 9 Pro — (Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Gemini Advanced is the paid version of Gemini available through the Google One AI Premium plan. It is available for a $20 monthly subscription and also includes all the other benefits of Google One Premium. Some newer Pixel phones include free trials for Google One AI Premium, putting Gemini Advanced features in the hands of more users.

However, Google has consistently brought Gemini Advanced tools to free users over time. Aside from the aforementioned document uploads and file analysis support, the company also made saved info in Gemini a free feature just last week.

It's expected that like document uploads and file analysis, Deep Research won't be fully featured for free users. Google could be trying to give free users a glimpse of what Deep Research can do as a way to upsell them to Gemini Advanced. Right now, this is all speculation, so we'll have to wait and see what comes of Deep Research for free users.

Brady is a tech journalist for Android Central, with a focus on news, phones, tablets, audio, wearables, and software. He has spent the last three years reporting and commenting on all things related to consumer technology for various publications. Brady graduated from St. John's University with a bachelor's degree in journalism. His work has been published in XDA, Android Police, Tech Advisor, iMore, Screen Rant, and Android Headlines. When he isn't experimenting with the latest tech, you can find Brady running or watching Big East basketball.