Comment by karahime
15 days ago
I would love to try it out, and the Gemini models had previously been some of the ones I'd liked best in an overall sense, but unfortunately their updated inference endpoint is no longer ZDR on OpenRouter (change takes effect on the 18th). I think this is one of the more unfortunate turns in AI development in 2026, as it seemed like labs offering it was becoming the norm last year, and Google had previously done so consistently.
AI Studio has never been ZDR (retention is noted at 55 days max), but paid usage is excluded from training. Vertex uses enterprise terms, and it's definitely ZDR/no training. What's happening on the 18th?
It's the Vertex endpoint for Gemini models that's changing to be reclassified by OR as not ZDR, as I understand it. The email from them says
> Upcoming change to OpenRouter’s ZDR designation for Google authored models
> We’re writing to let you know about an upcoming change to how OpenRouter designates Google authored models for Zero Data Retention (ZDR) routing.
> Effective October 18, 2026, OpenRouter will no longer designate Google authored models as ZDR-eligible. After that date, requests that require ZDR will not route to Google authored models.
> Google’s standard automated abuse-prevention policies allow it to use safety classifiers to identify requests that may violate its policies and to securely retain prompts flagged for further review. Because this process does not meet OpenRouter’s requirements for a ZDR designation, we are updating our model classifications and routing controls accordingly.
> What this means for you If your requests require ZDR We recommend migrating affected traffic to another ZDR-eligible model before October 18, 2026 to avoid interruption.
> If you do not require ZDR No action is required for your Google model requests.
> Our current routing behavior will remain unchanged during the 30-day transition period ending October 18, 2026. > Read the ZDR documentation
> If you have questions or would like help identifying an alternative model, please contact us at support@openrouter.ai.
> Thanks for using OpenRouter!
> The OpenRouter Team
If I recall correctly this is because OpenRouter is changing their definition of ZDR so that Gemini was never ZDR.