Google deprecates Imagen 4.0 image generation API models, shutdown set for August 17, 2026

Google has announced the deprecation of three Imagen 4.0 image generation models in the Gemini API, with the shutdown scheduled for August 17, 2026. Developers using these model IDs in production integrations have approximately two months to migrate.

What's new

The affected model IDs are:

• imagen-4.0-generate-001 — standard Imagen 4.0 image generation
• imagen-4.0-ultra-generate-001 — high-quality Imagen 4.0 Ultra variant
• imagen-4.0-fast-generate-001 — lower-latency Imagen 4.0 Fast variant

The deprecation was listed in Google's Gemini API changelog on June 15, 2026, with August 17, 2026 as the hard shutdown date. No replacement model IDs were specified in the changelog entry; Imagen 4.0 capabilities are expected to migrate to future model versions.

Context

Imagen 4.0 was Google's previous generation of diffusion-based image generation, available through the Gemini API across standard, ultra, and fast tiers. The model family launched in 2025 and was one of the primary image generation options for API developers building visual content pipelines on Google's infrastructure.

The shutdown follows a similar pattern to Google's June 15, 2026 deprecation of the Veo 2.0 and Veo 3.0 video model IDs (shutdown June 30, 2026), which also affected three model variants and directed developers toward newer model versions. Both deprecations were announced on the same date, suggesting a coordinated cleanup of the 4.0-series model generation from the API.

Why it matters

The two-month notice window (June 15 to August 17) is tighter than standard enterprise deprecation cycles but consistent with Google's recent model retirement cadence. Developers with production Imagen 4.0 integrations — image generation pipelines, content automation tools, or design applications built on the Gemini API — need to audit their model ID references before the cutoff.

Practically, the migration path requires identifying which of the three Imagen 4.0 variants a system is calling, then updating to the current recommended equivalent. Requests to deprecated model IDs after August 17 will return errors.