OpenAI is permanently retiring its GPT-4o model on February 13, 2026, along with several other older models. Despite bringing it back once after user backlash, the company says improvements in GPT-5.1 and GPT-5.2 now make the transition viable, with only 0.1% of users still choosing the legacy model.
The retirement affects GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and OpenAI o4-mini from ChatGPT. However, GPT-4o gets special attention in OpenAI’s announcement. Last August, when the model first disappeared with the GPT-5 launch, the company reversed course within 24 hours due to overwhelming requests from paying customers. Many had become attached to what OpenAI itself called GPT-4o’s “overly flattering” and “often described as sycophantic” style.
CEO Sam Altman suggested a “heartbreaking” reason for the attachment: some users said they had never had anyone support them before. The model would respond to mundane prompts with gushing praise like “absolutely brilliant” and “you are doing heroic work.”
Personality customization arrives
Now OpenAI says its latest models make GPT-4o obsolete. GPT-5.1 and GPT-5.2 include improvements to personality and creativity, with customizable tone options like “Friendly.” Users can adjust warmth, enthusiasm, conciseness and other traits through the settings menu. These changes apply instantly across all conversations.
But it’s not only about tone. The latest models also address “unnecessary refusals and overly cautious or preachy responses,” OpenAI says. Updates arriving soon will continue improvements in these areas. The company is also making progress toward a version of ChatGPT designed specifically for adults over 18, “grounded in the principle of treating adults like adults.”
Usage has shifted decisively
After restoring GPT-4o last year, OpenAI learned more about how people actually use it day-to-day. Plus and Pro users needed more time to transition key use cases like creative ideation. They preferred GPT-4o’s conversational style and warmth. That feedback directly shaped the newer models, the company says.
Each model has different strengths. Users can still select the version best-suited to their needs from a dropdown menu in ChatGPT. OpenAI recently brought back several other models including o3, GPT-4.1, and o4-mini after users complained about their disappearance. GPT-4.5 is also available for Pro users, though Altman notes it costs “a lot of GPUs” to run.
The API remains unchanged
Importantly, there are no changes to the API at this time. Developers using GPT-4o through the API can continue as before. The retirement only affects ChatGPT’s interface.
OpenAI acknowledges the difficulty. “We know that losing access to GPT-4o will feel frustrating for some users, and we didn’t make this decision lightly,” the company said. “Retiring models is never easy, but it allows us to focus on improving the models most people use today.” Changes like this take time to adjust to, and OpenAI promises to always be clear about what’s changing and when.