Google confirmed on September 27, 2026, that Gems are being sunset in favor of Skills. The company will shut down Gems in November. Starting November 17, every existing Gem converts automatically into a Skill. Those Gems keep working until that date.
Gems launched in August 2024 as Gemini’s version of custom assistants. Users could save a set of instructions once and reuse them without rewriting the prompt each time. Skills take the same core idea further. They push Gemini to act more proactively. Instead of waiting for explicit instructions every time, the system aims to recognize what a task requires on its own.
Skills also change how you call them up. Type a slash, then an @, and Gemini either selects the right Skill automatically or lets you combine several in one chat. In practice they function more like shortcuts than the earlier Gems did.
Google frames the switch as an upgrade. For anyone still on a free account, the change lands differently.
Access Rules for Skills
Gems have always been available at no cost to anyone with a Google account. Skills sit behind a paid wall. You need a Google AI Pro subscription at $19.99 per month or an Ultra plan at $99.99 per month. Access to Gemini Spark is also required.
Age and account type matter too. Users must be over 18 and on a personal account. School and work accounts are excluded. Skills are not available yet in the EU, the UK, Switzerland, or Nigeria.
Google has not stated whether the subscription requirement is temporary or permanent. It has also not explained what free users who built a collection of Gems should do once the feature moves exclusively to paid plans.