Google released Gemini 3 Flash, the speed-optimized sibling of Gemini 3 Pro, and made it the default model in the Gemini app for most users. It delivered near-Pro quality on everyday tasks at much lower latency.

The Flash tier's promotion to default showed how far Google's efficiency push had come: most users never needed the heavier Pro model. Flash became the volume workhorse of the Gemini lineup.

The release kicked off an accelerating Flash cadence in 2026, with Google shipping new Flash iterations roughly monthly while the next Pro flagship slipped.