Google has expanded access to its video generation model, Veo 3, making it available to users in over 159 countries via the Gemini app, but only if they’re paying for the AI Pro plan.
With this rollout, subscribers in regions including Europe, India, and Indonesia can now create short videos using just text prompts.
However, users are limited to three videos per day. After that, they’re pushed back to Veo 2, an older version with fewer features and no native audio.
This shows Google’s continued focus on product differentiation between its AI subscription tiers. Initially reserved for AI Ultra subscribers at $249.99/month, Veo 3 was quietly made available to AI Pro users (who pay $19.99/month) last month, albeit with access to the slightly slower “Veo 3 Fast” version.
Compared to Veo 2, the upgrades in Veo 3 are commendable. The tool now generates videos with built-in audio, including dialogue, ambient sounds, and even nature effects, giving creators more realistic, complete video outputs without needing post-production.
Josh Woodward, a lead product executive at Google, confirmed on Wednesday: “India, Indonesia, all of Europe, and more are starting to get access to create videos right now.”
Beyond audio, the model also introduces smoother motion, improved character consistency across frames, and more accurate lighting and physics, raising the bar for realism in short video generation.
These enhancements address long-standing complaints about previous models’ choppy animations and visual glitches.
Google also claims users will face fewer interruptions when creating content, citing reduced content blocking. However, no specifics were given about how moderation thresholds have changed, a likely sensitive area as synthetic video tools come under checks globally.
Importantly, every video generated with Veo 3 is tagged with SynthID watermarks, both visible and invisible, to maintain traceability and discourage misuse. This is beyond protecting the tool’s integrity, but defending Google’s reputation as it wades deeper into generative content.
A later update will allow Google users to upload static images and animate them using Veo 3’s engine, an image-to-video feature already offered by some competitors like Runway and Pika. Unlike OpenAI’s Sora, which remains in limited preview, Google Veo 3 is publicly accessible to all paying users.
Veo 3’s most captivating use cases range from marketing visuals to concept design. According to Google, it’s aimed at creators “who want to break through creative blocks and visualise ideas in a flash.”
That may be true, but for now, they’ll have to visualise in under eight seconds.
