Qwen users have a meaningful product update to note this week: Qwen Code’s free OAuth tier was discontinued on April 15, 2026.
According to the official Qwen Code repository, users who want to keep using Qwen Code now need to switch to Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan, OpenRouter, Fireworks AI, or their own API key.
This was not a sudden change. Qwen Code had already signaled the shift on April 13, when it cut the daily free OAuth quota from 1,000 requests to 100 ahead of the full shutdown two days later.
The impact showed up quickly. GitHub issues opened on April 15 and April 16 show users running into quota and access errors, while maintainers were also updating documentation because the old onboarding flow was still creating confusion for new users.
The takeaway is straightforward: the old “sign in and start for free” path is no longer the default way into Qwen Code. Developers evaluating Qwen for coding workflows should now treat it more like a standard paid or bring-your-own-key tool.
That matters beyond setup alone. It suggests Qwen Code is moving away from a lightweight free-access model and toward a more commercial operating model. For developers, that means choosing a provider early, configuring authentication properly, and expecting fewer shortcuts than before.