Despite its emotionally rich history, OpenAI has decided to officially remove GPT-4o and its derivative models from the model selector in ChatGPT on February 13, 2026.

This removal includes the models GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1mini, and o4-mini. Notably, developers should be aware that these models will remain temporarily available in the API, but regular ChatGPT users will fully transition to the more advanced GPT-5 series.

OpenAI

Reason for Discontinuation: 0.1% of "Loyalty" Can't Keep Up with Technological Advancement

OpenAI stated that this decision was mainly based on real usage data: on any given day, only 0.1% of users still manually choose to use GPT-4o.

"Discontinuing a model is never an easy decision, but it allows us to focus on improving the models that the majority of our users currently use." —— OpenAI Official Statement

The Complex Farewell of GPT-4o: A "Emotional Bond" with Users

The removal of GPT-4o triggered strong reactions from some core supporters, mainly due to its unique "personality":

  • Two Times of Removal: In August 2025, OpenAI had attempted to remove GPT-4o, but had to restore access for paying users after facing widespread user protests.

  • Emotional Attachment: This model was known for its gentle, even somewhat "flattering" communication style. On social media platforms like Reddit, there were even petitions titled "Save GPT-4o," with some users claiming the model was irreplaceable in terms of emotional support.

Successor: Smarter, and Capable of "Customizing Personality"

To comfort fans of the old model, OpenAI introduced GPT-5.1 and GPT-5.2 as official successors.

The new models not only significantly improve reasoning capabilities, but also introduce the customization of tone and style function. Users can now adjust the "human-like" aspects of ChatGPT according to their preferences:

  • Personality Presets: Options include "enthusiastic," "friendly," "straightforward," or "quirky."

  • Fine-tuning Controls: Support for adjusting the conciseness, friendliness, and frequency of emoji usage in responses.

This high level of personalization control is seen as another form of inheritance of GPT-4o's emotional traits, aiming to guide those who lingered with the old model into the new era of AI.