On February 13, 2026, OpenAI is officially retiring GPT‑4o, along with GPT‑4.1, GPT‑4.1 mini, and o4-mini. GPT‑4o has been a favourite tool for creative work and conversational tasks. People reportedly loved its warmth, its casual style, the way it felt more personal than other models.For a while, GPT‑4o was temporarily restored after being deprecated. Users asked for more time to transition, especially those relying on it for brainstorming, writing, and ideation. That feedback, it appears, shaped the new GPT‑5.1 and 5.2 updates.
GPT‑4o retiring soon: OpenAI moves users to GPT‑5.2
GPT‑4o wasn’t just another AI. It reportedly had a style people loved. For creative ideation, it was the go-to for writers, marketers and researchers that all seemed to prefer over more rigid versions. GPT‑5.1 and 5.2 are now more flexible. You can choose tones like “Friendly,” adjust warmth, tweak enthusiasm. The idea is that ChatGPT feels more personal, not just more capable. Users can control how it responds, without needing complicated prompts. OpenAI says these retirements let them focus on models most people use. GPT‑5.2 has become the standard. Creative writing, casual conversations, and problem-solving tasks are all happening there. The retirement also reflects the company’s broader plan to improve ChatGPT’s personality and creativity. Unnecessary refusals are being reduced.
GPT‑5.2: OpenAI retires GPT‑4o
Some users will feel the loss. Those still relying on GPT‑4o for key workflows will need to adjust. They highlighted the usage had dropped dramatically and improvements in GPT‑5.1 and 5.2 now cover most use cases. Age prediction features have also rolled out for under‑18 users aiming to provide more safeguards while giving adults more freedom in how ChatGPT responds.
