Google’s October 13, 2026 update brings Gemini 4 Argon to the Gemini app. Google positions the model for demanding reasoning, coding and document work; its public model card was also published on October 13. Argon is a commercial hosted model, not an open-source download. This guide begins with a reviewable task and explains the access routes. Official documents were checked on October 14; AltStack has not run Argon or independently reproduced Google’s performance claims.
1. Choose between the app, coding environment and API
Use the Gemini app when you want to ask questions, work through a document or prepare a draft. Google’s current personal-account model table includes Argon in Chat and Task modes for Google AI Pro and Ultra. Gemini still has a free app tier, but that tier does not establish free Argon access.
For development, Antigravity has its own model eligibility. Its current table includes Argon for Ultra and eligible enterprise users, not Pro. API access is a separate developer service with its own billing. Decide which interface your task actually needs before comparing plans.
2. Check current app prices in your country
Google’s US subscription page currently lists AI Pro at $19.99 per month. Ultra starts at $99.99 per month with five times the Pro usage allowance; the $199.99 option lists twenty times Pro usage. Those are observed US monthly offers, not Nepal prices, currency conversions or promises about future pricing. Regional availability, tax, trials and billing choices can change the amount shown to your account.
Open the official subscriptions page and read the plan, renewal price and cancellation terms before buying. Check that Argon is included in the surface you need.
3. Open Gemini in your browser and select Argon
No Argon model download is required for this browser workflow. On your computer, open gemini.google.com, select Sign in and use the Google Account attached to your eligible plan. Work and school accounts can have different licensing and administrator controls, so this personal-account workflow may not apply to them.
In the chat box, click the currently selected model and choose Argon if it appears. A lock indicates an upgrade requirement. Google documents optional Low, Medium and High thinking levels; higher reasoning can consume more usage. After a response, use More and See response details to check which model produced it. Automatic routing and limit fallbacks make that check useful when comparing results.
4. Start with a bounded document exercise
Prepare a short project brief you own, with a few requirements and an explicit deadline. Try this original exercise: “Use only the brief below. Produce a launch checklist with an owner, dependency and acceptance condition for each item. Separate missing information from facts. Ask before inventing a deadline or making an external action.” Paste the brief after the instruction.
Read the answer against the source, checking names, dates, omitted requirements and unsupported assumptions. Ask for a revision that fixes one specific problem, such as a dependency assigned in the wrong order.
5. Add files without uploading an entire archive
For a document-based chat, enter the question, click Add files, then Upload Files to select a supported local file. Google also documents Add from Drive and code-import options, but those have additional connection requirements. Begin with one small document whose contents you can verify.
The upload help page allows up to ten supported files in one prompt, subject to availability; most non-video files can be up to 100 MB. Rolling upload limits also apply. A technically accepted file can still be too large for a reliable answer. Ask Gemini to identify the relevant passage and distinguish evidence from interpretation.
6. Try Task mode only when its requirements fit
The October 13 update brings a Chat and Task toggle to the main workflow. Google’s task help requires an eligible personal account, age eighteen or over, Pro or Ultra, Keep Activity enabled and Personal Intelligence opt-in. Availability still depends on country and account. These requirements matter if your preferred privacy setup has activity disabled.
If eligible, click Task below the text box, describe a limited goal and submit it. For a first attempt, request a draft or research file rather than a purchase or message. Monitor the task thread for questions and inspect the work panel’s Files list. Gemini can ask for review before some actions, but the documentation says safeguards do not replace supervision. Use Stop in the Gemini text box to cancel a task.
7. Connect only the apps needed for the task
To inspect available connections on the web, open Customize in the sidebar, then Connectors. If Customize is hidden, Google says to open More first. Select an app to read its supported and unsupported actions. Availability differs across devices, countries and account types.
In a prompt, typing @ lets you select a particular app. Review any connection request before continuing. Keep the first document exercise independent of email, calendars and commercial services unless access is necessary. After an experiment, revisit Connectors and disconnect services you no longer use; disconnection does not automatically erase data already processed elsewhere.
8. Understand usage limits and missing-model problems
Gemini’s current limits are based on compute usage, including prompt complexity, selected models, features and conversation length. Google documents five-hour refreshes alongside weekly limits; this is not an unlimited fixed number of Argon prompts. Long chats and large files can consume more capacity.
If Argon is absent or locked, check the signed-in account, eligible subscription, country and current model availability page. If a response uses Flash-Lite, inspect response details and your remaining usage. If a file fails, try a smaller supported input. The model card notes hallucinations, possible slowness and timeouts, and a March 2026 knowledge cutoff, so current facts still require fresh sources.
9. Keep Antigravity access distinct from Gemini access
Google’s October 13 app announcement also introduces Antigravity’s coding interface within the Gemini macOS app. That integration does not mean every Pro subscription gets Argon in every coding product. The current Antigravity model documentation explicitly excludes Pro from Argon access and lists Ultra and enterprise access instead. It also says Argon is unavailable in the older Antigravity IDE, while supported in the current app, CLI and IDE extensions.
Before installing or changing a coding workflow, check the exact product version and model table. For an initial coding exercise, use a small repository, keep a recoverable Git state and request a plan before changes. Review the diff and run relevant checks yourself.
10. Estimate API charges separately
The developer model identifier is gemini-4-argon. Its standard API price is $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens through November 30, 2026. On December 1, those rates become $4 and $20. Output billing includes thinking tokens. Implicit cached input is $0.10 per million during the introductory period, then $0.20; explicit caching is unsupported. Other serving modes and grounding have separate rates.
For illustration, 10,000 uncached input tokens plus 2,000 billable output tokens cost $0.04 at introductory standard rates, before extra tools or services. That is arithmetic, not a measured request. The API pricing table has no free Argon tier. A paid app subscription is not a blanket API allowance. Review your billing route and usage controls before sending requests, and keep keys out of public code.
11. Review privacy and the result before reusing it
Gemini’s consumer privacy notice says some data can be reviewed by people. Check Gemini Apps Activity before sharing sensitive material. Temporary chats and chats with Keep Activity off are still retained for seventy-two hours for service and safety purposes; turning activity off is not zero retention. If you submit feedback, associated content can be processed under different rules. Task mode’s activity requirements may conflict with the settings you prefer.
Paid API services have separate terms: Google says paid-service prompts and responses are not used to improve its products, while limited safety logging remains. Do not assume those developer terms describe every consumer chat. Finish by verifying factual claims, calculations, sources and any changed files.
Official instructions and sources
October 13 Gemini app launch and availabilityGoogle’s Gemini 4 Argon announcementGemini 4 Argon model card and limitationsCurrent US Gemini subscription pricesGoogle AI plan benefits and eligibilitySigning in and supported account typesApp models, manual selection and response detailsUpload files and current size limitsTask setup, eligibility and supervisionConnected Apps and supported actionsCompute usage and five-hour/weekly limitsAntigravity model eligibility by plan and interfaceArgon’s Antigravity rollout announcementGemini API model identifier and capabilitiesAPI introductory, standard, cached and tool pricingConsumer Gemini Apps privacy controlsManage and delete Gemini Apps ActivityDeveloper API terms and paid-service data treatmentOriginal AltStack guide by Sushil Kumar Sah. Installation steps follow provider documentation; they do not imply testing on every supported device.