Don’t worry, ChatGPT‑4o isn’t being phased out in October despite the rumors

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(Image credit: Future)

OpenAI has no plans to phase out GPT‑4o in October
The company reinstated GPT‑4o after backlash
OpenAI promised advance notice before any deprecation of models

Rumors of ChatGPT‑4o's demise have been exaggerated, according to OpenAI. Despite some loud rumors bouncing around Reddit and other social media platforms, ChatGPT's developer has no plans to phase out the popular GPT‑4o model in October.

A now-deleted Reddit post claimed GPT-4o was on a deprecation countdown for the AI chatbot. But the company confirmed to TechRadar that there is no such plan in October or at any other time. Should it happen, OpenAI promised there will be a heads-up with plenty of warning. The company even adjusted its documentation to reflect that fact.

The brief frenzy around the rumor isn't too surprising after what happened with GPT-5's debut earlier this month. Though OpenAI framed the upgrade as the choice any user would prefer, not everyone fell in love at first prompt. Some users described GPT‑5 as colder or too formal compared to GPT‑4o, and with only GPT-5 available, a lot of ChatGPT users were very upset.

OpenAI heard the outcry and reinstated GPT‑4o a day later for paying subscribers. Still, with GPT‑5 in the spotlight and improvements coming in to give it more of the kind of personality many claim to desire, it was not an absurd assumption to see GPT-4o’s days as numbered. They may not even fully trust OpenAI's assurances that there is no imminent sunset scheduled for GPT‑4o, but if it's still around in November, they might relax a little at least.

Model attachment

This might all seem dramatic, but in some ways, OpenAI must be pleased at the anthropomorphizing of its chatbot. Getting people invested in using AI is a major goal for the developers, and this shows that while the AI may be mechanical, a lot of people start to treat it as something else.

Someday, GPT-4o and its successors will likely get phased out. That’s just how AI development works. But clearly, the method of that phasing matters a lot to some people. And letting 4o stick around a little longer gives people space to decide when or even if they want to upgrade.

But for now, GPT‑4o still has a place in the ChatGPT lineup, and OpenAI is keen to assure you that you’ll know when it’s time to say goodbye, and it won't be in October.

Eric Hal Schwartz is a freelance writer for TechRadar with more than 15 years of experience covering the intersection of the world and technology. For the last five years, he served as head writer for Voicebot.ai and was on the leading edge of reporting on generative AI and large language models. He's since become an expert on the products of generative AI models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google Gemini, and every other synthetic media tool. His experience runs the gamut of media, including print, digital, broadcast, and live events. Now, he's continuing to tell the stories people want and need to hear about the rapidly evolving AI space and its impact on their lives. Eric is based in New York City.

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