Gemini API retires its embedding preview and reroutes the calls

Gemini API retires its embedding preview and reroutes the calls

6 November 2026: Google has deprecated gemini-embedding-2-preview, and requests to that string now go to gemini-embedding-2 at Gemini Embedding 2 rates. Code that pinned the preview keeps working, but it now runs on a different model than the name in its config, and Google asks developers to change the string.

Not yet independently verified. We read Google's changelog and deprecations table but did not test the route or read the current price of gemini-embedding-2. The claim that no re-indexing is needed is Google's. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

What changed in the API

The Gemini API changelog entry says the route took effect on 6 November. The deprecations table gives the preview a release date of 10 March 2026 and a shutdown date of 6 November 2026, with gemini-embedding-2 as the replacement, so the preview lasted about eight months.

The instruction is a one-line edit: update the model string to gemini-embedding-2. Google says the replacement "uses the same API schema, pricing, and embedding space", and on that basis says no other code changes or vector re-indexing are needed.

Why the embedding space claim is the one that matters

Embedding swaps are usually costly because vectors from two models cannot be compared, which forces a full re-embed of the stored corpus. If the space is the same, as Google states, vectors already in an index stay comparable with new ones from gemini-embedding-2.

A team with a large index can check that cheaply before relying on it. Embed a small sample of stored documents again through the new string and compare the results with the vectors already held. A mismatch would be worth raising with Google, because the changelog says no re-indexing is needed.

Those stored vectors tend to live in the kind of product our vector database listings cover.

What else to look for in a codebase

The table also lists older embedding models with gemini-embedding-2 as their replacement. text-embedding-004 shut down on 14 January 2026. embedding-001, embedding-gecko-001, gemini-embedding-exp and gemini-embedding-exp-03-07 shut down on 30 October 2025.

A search of configuration and environment files for any of those strings, plus the preview name, finds the calls to fix. Rerouted traffic is easy to miss because nothing fails, and the same goes for the coming Omni 1.1 Flash reroute on the same API.

Cost tracking is the other place the old name may linger. Google says calls to the preview string are charged at Gemini Embedding 2 rates, and that the two share the same pricing.

Sources

• Google AI for Developers: Gemini API changelog, entry of 6 November 2026, 6 November 2026
• Google AI for Developers: Gemini API deprecations, embedding models table (read 7 November 2026), 7 November 2026