AI Change Record
Google retires Gemini Robotics ER 1.6 Preview on August 31
Google announced that gemini-robotics-er-1.6-preview will shut down on August 31, 2026, and its deprecation table names gemini-robotics-er-2-preview as the replacement.
At a glance
Change Snapshot
- Company
- Retirement date
- August 31, 2026
- Launch type
- Not classified
- Category
- AI Developer Tools, AI Models, AI Robotics
- Audience
- Developers and robotics teams whose Gemini API integrations call gemini-robotics-er-1.6-preview.
- Pricing
- No pricing change announced
- Free plan
- Not publicly confirmed
- API
- Yes
- Open weights/source
- Not publicly confirmed
Record Context
Use these links to inspect this operational change alongside related Launch Intelligence records.
Verification & Sources
- Status
- Verified
- Source links
- 2
- Freshness
- Verified August 1, 2026
- Last verified
- August 1, 2026
- Last updated
- August 1, 2026
Key source checks
Suggest a correction
Kingy AI Take
Google announced that gemini-robotics-er-1.6-preview will shut down on August 31, 2026, and its deprecation table names gemini-robotics-er-2-preview as the replacement. Kingy’s action: Replace the 1.6 preview model ID with gemini-robotics-er-2-preview and validate robotics behavior, tool calls, media inputs and safety controls before August 31.
Stack Change Radar record · ksr-google-gemini-robotics-er-1-6-2026-08-31
Operational change record
- Vendor
- Product
- Gemini API
- Model / version
- gemini-robotics-er-1.6-preview
- Change
- Retirement · High
- Audience
- Developers and robotics teams whose Gemini API integrations call gemini-robotics-er-1.6-preview.
- Region / platform
- Gemini API; no regional exception documented
- Announcement
- Jul 30, 2026
- Effective / deadline
- Jul 30, 2026 · Aug 31, 2026
- Previous → new
- The Gemini Robotics ER 1.6 preview endpoint remains available before the shutdown date. → The preview endpoint is scheduled to shut down on August 31, 2026.
- Required action
- Replace the 1.6 preview model ID with gemini-robotics-er-2-preview and validate robotics behavior, tool calls, media inputs and safety controls before August 31.
- Replacement / migration
- Update integrations to gemini-robotics-er-2-preview, review the current Robotics ER documentation, and regression-test spatial reasoning, orchestration, media inputs and physical-action safeguards before production cutover.
- Evidence
- Strong · checked Aug 1, 2026
- State
- Active
Sources: Official source 1 · Official source 2
Correction history: No corrections recorded.
Who it is for
Developers and robotics teams whose Gemini API integrations call gemini-robotics-er-1.6-preview.
What feels promising
The vendor provides a first-party source and a concrete migration path where one is available.
What feels unproven
Vendor schedules and compatibility guidance can change; verify again before a production cutover.
Source-backed record