Gemini: get an API key and write fiction with it on your phone

A genuinely usable free tier (Flash-class requests numbering in the hundreds to over a thousand per day) plus text, image, and video on one key — the natural first stop for trying BYOK at zero cost. This page is the BYOK quick answer for Gemini: key steps, direct console and pricing links, and the app-side notes that matter. Verified 2026-07-18.

Two links up front: get your key at the official console and check rates on the official pricing page. Prices and free quotas move; the official pages are authoritative.

What does it power inside Foreverse?

The factory preset declares 4 modality flags for Gemini. The models actually available come from the live catalog fetched in-app — catalogs move fast, and the flag only means the protocol wiring is ready.

Modality	Used for
Text	Continuation · roleplay chat · agent
Vision	Image understanding in chat
Image	Scene illustration · moment cards · comics
Video	Scene-to-video

How do I get a Gemini API key?

Sign in to aistudio.google.com with a Google account.
Open API keys in the sidebar (or go straight to aistudio.google.com/apikey) → Create API key, in a new or existing Google Cloud project.
Copy the key (starts with AIza). Unlike OpenAI or Anthropic, AI Studio lets you view it again later.
To lift free-tier rate limits, come back and click Set up billing on the project.

Key in hand: three steps to connect

Open the app's Settings → AI models & services and find Gemini in the list (one of 62 presets, with logo and search).
Paste the key and tap the connectivity test — it fires one real request to verify key and network, and pulls back the model list while it's at it.
Enable the models you want, then set per-modality defaults (text, image, speech, and video each get their own); continuation, chat, and listening route through them from then on.

The one universal host pitfall: the API host must include its full version prefix (this provider's exact form is in the notes below) — the app never appends /v1 for you.

Gemini-specific notes

The preset host is https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta — note the version prefix is v1beta, not v1. Veo video and image generation ride the same key. Legacy standard keys stop working from September 2026; keys created in AI Studio now are auth keys by default, so new users are unaffected.

FAQ

Does Gemini have a free tier?

Yes, genuinely free: roughly a dozen-plus requests per minute and several hundred to over a thousand per day on Flash-class models (quotas float with model and account status; a late-2025 tightening made older guides overstate them); the newest 3.x previews and image-generation lanes are mostly paid-tier only. The live rate-limit view for your project in AI Studio is the source of truth.

Where does the key live once I paste it into the app?

It's stored on your device only, under system-level encryption — never uploaded or synced to any Foreverse server. Requests go straight from your phone to the provider's official endpoint with zero markup. To revoke access, delete the key in the provider's console.