Google retires Gemini Robotics 1.6 preview

Google’s Gemini API deprecation table puts gemini-robotics-er-1.6-preview at its August 31, 2026 shutdown date and names gemini-robotics-er-2-preview as the replacement, according to Google’s model schedule. Google defines shutdown as the endpoint becoming unavailable, so robotics teams should treat the 1.6 preview’s “earliest” date as a migration deadline, not a promise of continued access. Pin a fallback and replay recorded trajectories against 2-preview before the next deployment; Google’s rapid Flash price-cut cycle is a reminder that model churn reaches workhorse paths quickly.