What happens if I keep calling imagen-4.0-generate-001 after August 17?

Google lists imagen-4.0-generate-001 with a shutdown date of August 17, 2026 in the Gemini API deprecations table. A shutdown means the endpoint stops serving, so requests that still name the retired Imagen 4 model ID no longer return images. Google's Imagen documentation instructs developers to migrate to Gemini 3.1 Flash Image to avoid service interruptions.

How much warning did Google give before the Imagen 4 shutdown?

Google announced the Imagen 4 deprecation in the Gemini API changelog on June 15, 2026 and named August 17, 2026 as the shutdown date, giving roughly two months of notice. The three endpoints had been live since June 24, 2025, so Imagen 4 served the Gemini API for about fourteen months before retirement.

Is Gemini 3.1 Flash Image a drop-in replacement for Imagen 4?

Google names gemini-3.1-flash-image as the successor for all three retired Imagen 4 endpoints, but it belongs to a different model family, so switching is a model-ID migration rather than a like-for-like swap. Google's image-generation docs describe gemini-3.1-flash-image as a general-purpose model with 4K generation, image editing and multi-reference input.

Did Google retire any other media models on this schedule?

The same June 15, 2026 Gemini API changelog entry that deprecated Imagen 4 also announced three Veo video models — veo-2.0-generate-001, veo-3.0-generate-001 and veo-3.0-fast-generate-001 — with a shutdown date of June 30, 2026. Those video endpoints went dark earlier; August 17, 2026 is the Imagen 4 date.

Google · 2026-08-17 · major

Imagen 4 API endpoints shut down — Google moves image generation to Gemini

Google shuts down the Imagen 4 standard, fast and ultra endpoints in the Gemini API today, August 17, 2026. Code still calling imagen-4.0-generate-001 has to move to gemini-3.1-flash-image.

Gemini API documentation banner used on Google's model deprecation pages

Three Imagen 4 endpoints go dark in the Gemini API today, and Google points every caller at gemini-3.1-flash-image.

Quick facts

Maker	Google
Shutdown date	August 17, 2026
Endpoints retired	imagen-4.0-generate-001, -fast-generate-001, -ultra-generate-001
Replacement	gemini-3.1-flash-image
Deprecated on	June 15, 2026
Originally released	June 24, 2025
Affected API	Gemini API

What is it?

Imagen 4's three Gemini API endpoints stop serving requests on August 17, 2026. Google marked imagen-4.0-generate-001, imagen-4.0-fast-generate-001 and imagen-4.0-ultra-generate-001 as deprecated on June 15, 2026 and set today as the shutdown date. All three had been available since June 24, 2025.

How does it work?

Google's deprecations table maps each retired Imagen 4 endpoint to a single successor, gemini-3.1-flash-image. Text-to-image work therefore moves out of a standalone Imagen endpoint and into the Gemini model family, where the image-generation docs cover it next to gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image and gemini-3-pro-image. Every image these models return carries a SynthID watermark.

Why does it matter?

Any pipeline that hard-coded an Imagen 4 model ID stops working today rather than degrading quietly. Google's Imagen page tells developers to migrate to Gemini 3.1 Flash Image to avoid service interruptions, so for teams that missed the June notice this is a same-day fix, not a backlog item.

Who is it for?

developers generating images through the Gemini API

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I keep calling imagen-4.0-generate-001 after August 17?: Google lists imagen-4.0-generate-001 with a shutdown date of August 17, 2026 in the Gemini API deprecations table. A shutdown means the endpoint stops serving, so requests that still name the retired Imagen 4 model ID no longer return images. Google's Imagen documentation instructs developers to migrate to Gemini 3.1 Flash Image to avoid service interruptions.
How much warning did Google give before the Imagen 4 shutdown?: Google announced the Imagen 4 deprecation in the Gemini API changelog on June 15, 2026 and named August 17, 2026 as the shutdown date, giving roughly two months of notice. The three endpoints had been live since June 24, 2025, so Imagen 4 served the Gemini API for about fourteen months before retirement.
Is Gemini 3.1 Flash Image a drop-in replacement for Imagen 4?: Google names gemini-3.1-flash-image as the successor for all three retired Imagen 4 endpoints, but it belongs to a different model family, so switching is a model-ID migration rather than a like-for-like swap. Google's image-generation docs describe gemini-3.1-flash-image as a general-purpose model with 4K generation, image editing and multi-reference input.
Did Google retire any other media models on this schedule?: The same June 15, 2026 Gemini API changelog entry that deprecated Imagen 4 also announced three Veo video models — veo-2.0-generate-001, veo-3.0-generate-001 and veo-3.0-fast-generate-001 — with a shutdown date of June 30, 2026. Those video endpoints went dark earlier; August 17, 2026 is the Imagen 4 date.

Try it

Replace model="imagen-4.0-generate-001" with model="gemini-3.1-flash-image"