The news of January 30thOpenAI Declare that on February 13, 2026, there will be an official drop-off in ChatGPTModelThese include GPT –4o, GPT –41, GPT –4.1 Mini and OpenAI o4 – Mini, while previously published GPT –5 Instant and GPT –5 Thinking will also be retired on the same day。
GPT –4o was briefly offline during the GPT –5 release and subsequently returned to use because of some Plus and Pro user feedback needs。
Users generally agree that GPT –4o is more "temperature" in creative and conversational styles, so OpenAI, in GPT – 5.1 and GPT – 5.2, has strengthened personalization, creative support and speech control by providing many basic styles and adjustable emotional parameters, including "Friendly"。
OpenAI states that, with GPT-5.2 becoming the mainstream option, only about 0.1% users are still using GPT-40o on a daily basis, and therefore considers the retirement of the old model to be ripe。
The company stressed that while downline models may be difficult for some users, the pooling of resources to optimize the master power model would provide a more consistent experience。
CNBC reports that GPT-4o has been favoured by paying users for its natural, warm and conversational style since its launch in 2024。
In August 2025, OpenAI was hit by a user rebound due to the temporary removal of GPT‐4o, and CEO Sam Altman promised to notify the model in advance of future retirement. The announcement means that the commitment is at the implementation stage。
OpenAI also stated that in the future it would continue to improve ChatGPT ' s personalized performance, creative capacity and reduce unnecessary refusals and overly cautious responses。
At the same time, companies are moving forward with the design of a version for users over 18 years of age and with a mechanism for forecasting the age of the line in most markets to enhance the experience of safety and classification。