Abstract:
Google has begun to open the Skills function to free Gemini account users, who can create and use it by themselves. Previously, Google announced that it would merge Gems into Skills by November 17, 2026. However, at that time, Skills was listed as a paid feature, and it was unclear whether free users would have access to alternatives.
Gems allows users to set custom instructions and ask Gemini questions accordingly; users can create multiple Gems according to their needs or interests. In the days after Google announced its discontinuation plan, the "Learn More" button on the relevant page was unavailable. Some official instructions also stated that Skills was only available to Pro and Ultra subscribers. Therefore, the outside world was worried that free users would have nowhere to migrate after losing Gems. Now, Google appears to have removed the Pro and Ultra subscription restrictions, and free users can start using Skills as well.
Users can create Skills by going to gemini.google.com/skills. Google says existing Gems will automatically be converted to Skills in November. Compared with Gems, one improvement of Skills is that it is more convenient to use: users do not have to find the required items in a long list of Gems, but can enter a slash in the main Gemini chat box and then enter a prompt word to call it. The effect after calling is similar to using Gem.
Therefore, users who are worried about the deactivation of Gems do not need to turn to alternative services such as Perplexity Projects for the time being, nor do they need to subscribe to Pro or Ultra in order to continue to use similar functions; until the migration is completed, Gems can still be used as usual, and Skills can be called through the slash command afterwards. The article also asked readers whether they had worried about Gems migration before, whether they had considered changing services, or whether they were willing to pay for Pro or Ultra.
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