Deprecation
Google shuts down its Imagen 4 API endpoints, pushing developers to Gemini
The three Imagen 4 generation endpoints stopped working August 17, and Google directs developers to its Gemini-native image models as the replacement path.
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The short version
- Google deprecated and shut down its three Imagen 4 API endpoints, standard, ultra and fast generation, on August 17, 2026.
- Calls to the retired imagen-4.0-generate-001, imagen-4.0-ultra-generate-001 and imagen-4.0-fast-generate-001 model IDs now return a hard error rather than a warning.
- Google is directing developers toward its Gemini-native image models, marketed under the Nano Banana name, as the replacement path.
The three Imagen 4 generation endpoints stopped working August 17, and Google directs developers to its Gemini-native image models as the replacement path.