Google image model shutdown dates, Oct 7 2026: Imagen 4 to 2.5 Flash

On Google's own deprecations table, read on October 7, 2026, Imagen 4 shut down on August 17, 2026 and gemini-2.5-flash-image is due to shut down on March 15, 2027. gemini-3.1-flash-image and gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image have no shutdown date announced.

If you have seen October 2 given as a date for gemini-2.5-flash-image, it does not match the table I read. Check the page yourself before you plan a cutover.

The table as of today

These rows come from the Gemini API deprecations page. Dates are the shutdown dates it lists.

Why days matter

From October 7, 2026 to March 15, 2027 is 159 days. That is plenty of time to move a product-photo pipeline off gemini-2.5-flash-image, and no reason to do it in a panic this week.

Imagen 4 is already past its date. Any pipeline still sending an imagen-4 id is calling a model Google has retired.

A short migration checklist

Do this once, then set a reminder for the dated rows.

• Search your code and config for imagen-4 and gemini-2.5-flash-image.
• Re-read Google's table on the day you plan the work. Dates move.
• Test the replacement id on 20 of your own prompts before you switch.
• Set a calendar note for March 15, 2027 if any pipeline still uses the 2.5 id.
• On Sume, read GET /v1/images/models instead of storing ids.

What this means on Sume

Sume does not mirror Google's ids. Its catalog is its own, and GET /v1/images/models is the list to read. Nano Banana 2 is retired there: google/nano-banana-2 and nano-banana-2 still work and run as Nano Banana 2.1, and the job stores the 2.1 id, per the Sume images docs.

Do not hardcode a Google id and assume it exists on Sume. Fetch the list at start-up and pick from it.