Gemini 3.2 Flash and 3.1 Lite models spotted in iOS app with 'Liquid Glass' update

Google appears to be quietly rolling out unannounced Gemini 3.2 Flash and 3.1 Lite models to select iOS users. The sudden appearance of these new tiers coincides with a major interface overhaul called Liquid Glass.

A Reddit user noticed the rapid changes in their iOS app over a 24-hour window. The model selector first shifted from 3 Flash to 3.1 before finally landing on 3.2 Flash. We are yet to see any official announcement from Google regarding these changes to the model selector.

The update also brings a new 3.1 Lite tier. Up until now, this specific model was strictly an API-only option meant for developers running high-volume, low-latency tasks.

This new Lite model seems to replace the dedicated Thinking option. Instead of a separate model, thinking capabilities are now a global toggle available across all options. Users can choose between standard and extended reasoning levels directly.

The OP shared all the details on the GeminiAI subreddit. They also spotted a new Agents (Beta) tab in the sidebar. It is mostly broken right now and just leads to a black screen.

Curious about performance, the OP put the unreleased 3.2 Flash model to the test with a complex ASCII animation prompt. The results were solid. The new model generated a detailed, animated city skyline with a functioning windmill and building lights in under two minutes.

They noted that the older 3 Flash produced unusable code for the exact same prompt. Surprisingly, the 3.1 Pro model struggled the most, taking up to five minutes only to output broken, non-functional code.

The Liquid Glass redesign itself is a big visual shift. The update introduces a new pill-shaped prompt box, a pulsating gradient background, and moves the model picker to a top-left dropdown menu.

It is not a perfectly smooth rollout. The OP mentioned dealing with a weird middle ground of the new UI without Liquid Glass for a few weeks prior. It was plagued with visual glitches, inaccessible buttons, and massive response delays. Those bugs were apparently resolved with the latest App Store update.

Comments on the Reddit thread show the update is highly staggered. Some users are enjoying the new look, while others are stuck on the old design. One commenter noted they are still waiting despite having the latest version 1.2026.1710205 installed. 

Another user chimed in speculating that the 3.1 Lite model is a cost-saving measure by Google, pushing free users to a cheaper tier by default.

The rapid jump in version numbers looks like messy live A/B testing or an accidental push to a public build. Google is clearly pushing major UI and backend updates simultaneously on mobile, even if the edges are still a bit rough.

We stand out from the tech-media crowd because we break news stories; we mainly bring you stuff that you won’t find anywhere in the mainstream tech media. Our stories have been picked up by some of the world’s most popular websites and media outlets—more info is available here.