Are Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and 3.5 Flash the same model?
No. Flash-Lite focuses on low-latency, cost-sensitive document parsing, extraction, and lightweight sub-agent tasks. You cannot directly reuse 3.5 Flash configurations with Lite. Use gemini-3.5-flash-lite when calling it, and recheck output quality and task completion after migration.
How can I make it return JSON that is easy for programs to process?
Clearly request that it return JSON only in the prompt, and specify field meanings, required fields, enumerations, and rules for missing values. You may include an example of the expected output. The model natively supports structured output; if you use response_format to configure a JSON object or JSON Schema, refer to the configurations actually supported by this model through that interface. After receiving the result, you still need to parse and validate the fields, especially distinguishing between correct formatting and content that is genuinely supported by the source material.
Which interface should I use to analyze PDFs?
Prepare document text, table data, or clear page screenshots relevant to the question, and specify whether you need summaries, comparisons, or particular information extracted. Submit content in formats supported by the selected public interface; a PDF URL cannot be used as image_url. Request that results retain original-text locations, field evidence, and unconfirmed items, and verify key numbers against the source material.
It supports image understanding, but can it also generate images or read answers aloud?
It supports image understanding and can answer questions or extract information from images, but its native output is text and it does not support image generation or audio generation. Images can be submitted together with text instructions; if you ultimately need an image or speech output, send the text result to the appropriate generation service.
Do I need to save the entire history myself when asking follow-up questions?
The application maintains the Chat Completions messages history, including relevant user and assistant messages, the latest materials, and feedback. For longer tasks, periodically consolidate interim conclusions and conditions that must be retained before continuing; continuous conversation does not mean unlimited memory.