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Google AI Studio is getting a new Ultra mode for building apps, according to TestingCatalog. The site spotted the unreleased option in Build, the part of AI Studio that turns a plain-English description into a working app.

Google hasn't announced Ultra mode. What TestingCatalog found is an option still in development, so its name, features and timing could all change before it reaches users, or it may never ship.

GOOGLE 🔥: A new Ultra mode has been spotted in development on Google AI Studio Build.

> "Build with advanced skills and tools," its description says.

> This new mode appears alongside Plan, Build, and the previously discovered Security review mode.

There is no sign that… pic.twitter.com/pvB2mhuyds

— 🚨 AI News | TestingCatalog (@testingcatalog) October 9, 2026

The new option sits in a mode menu next to Plan, Build and Security, a mode TestingCatalog spotted last week that checks apps for security holes. Ultra's only description so far says it builds "with advanced skills and tools." Google hasn't said what those skills and tools are.

TestingCatalog says it got to try the flow early. It reports that the apps Ultra produced were "quite comprehensive," even though they ran on Gemini 3.8 Flash, Google's fast, lower-cost model. Based on that, the site thinks Ultra spends more thinking effort on each app than the standard Build flow. It also admits its tests didn't show how the mode works or which extra tools it uses.

If that holds up, Ultra would be aimed at bigger projects. Today, Build already creates full apps with a web front end, a server and optional Firebase sign-in and database, according to Google's documentation. It runs on the same agent technology that powers Antigravity, Google's coding app. A mode that thinks longer could help with apps that have more moving parts, where a quick first pass tends to miss things.

The timing also points to Gemini 4 Argon, Google's new top model built for long coding tasks. Google says Argon is with trusted testers for now and will reach more people "starting with paid API customers and Google AI Ultra subscribers," with no firm date. TestingCatalog thinks the new Build modes are likely being developed with Argon in mind, but there's no evidence yet that Ultra mode uses it.

The name raises the obvious question of cost. "Ultra" is also the name of Google's most expensive AI subscription, and Antigravity has started showing Ultra upgrade prompts tied to Argon. TestingCatalog says there's no sign yet that Ultra mode will require that plan.

Google's own rules hint at how it could work, though. According to its AI Studio plans page, free users get a modest daily quota, while Pro and Ultra subscribers get bigger allowances, with Ultra getting the highest limits and "advanced frontier models." The same page says agent features in AI Studio, like Deep Research and Antigravity Preview, aren't covered by those plans at all and need a paid API key. So even without a subscription lock, a mode that thinks harder would likely eat through limits or API credit faster.

It's also not the same thing as OpenAI's similarly named Ultrafast. That's a premium speed tier that makes answers arrive faster. From what TestingCatalog has seen, Google's Ultra mode is about doing more work on each app, not doing it faster.

For now, AI Studio users still see the usual Build mode. Google hasn't said when Ultra mode will arrive, who will get it, or what it will cost.