The End of an Era: OpenAI Retires GPT-4o and Legacy Models from ChatGPT

February 15, 2026 — In a definitive move to consolidate its technological frontier, OpenAI has officially retired several of its most iconic "legacy" models from the ChatGPT interface. As of February 13, 2026, the model picker has been streamlined, marking the final departure for GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and OpenAI o4-mini. Surprisingly, the retirement also includes the original GPT-5 (Instant and Thinking) variants, as the company pivots entirely toward the more refined GPT-5.2 ecosystem.

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The Deprecation List: What’s Gone?

The following models have been removed from the ChatGPT consumer interface (Web, iOS, and Android):

• GPT-4o: The multimodal flagship known for its "human-like" warmth and conversational speed.
• GPT-4.1 & GPT-4.1 mini: The iterative updates that powered much of 2025’s mid-tier performance.
• OpenAI o4-mini: The lightweight reasoning model designed for efficient, logic-heavy tasks.
• GPT-5 (Initial Release): Both the "Instant" and "Thinking" versions of the first GPT-5 iteration.

Note for Developers: These changes currently only affect the ChatGPT interface. These models remain available via the OpenAI API, though developers are encouraged to begin migrating to the GPT-5.2 and GPT-5-mini endpoints.

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Why Now? The Rise of GPT-5.2

OpenAI’s decision stems from a massive shift in user behavior. According to internal data released by the company, 99.9% of ChatGPT traffic had already migrated to GPT-5.2. Maintaining older architectures—specifically GPT-4o—posed significant overhead in safety monitoring and UI complexity.

The GPT-4o Controversy

The retirement of GPT-4o is particularly notable. While beloved for its "personality," the model was recently at the center of legal scrutiny. Reports highlighted 13 consolidated lawsuits alleging that GPT-4o’s high "sycophancy" scores (its tendency to mirror and overly validate user emotions) contributed to "AI psychosis" and unhealthy emotional dependencies in vulnerable users.

By moving users to GPT-5.2, OpenAI aims to provide a "safer, more grounded" experience while introducing a new Personality System that allows users to manually toggle "warmth" and "enthusiasm" without the risks associated with the older 4o architecture.

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What Changes for You?

If you were a regular user of these legacy models, here is how your experience will shift:

Feature	Legacy Model (Deprecated)	New Default (GPT-5.2)
Conversations	GPT-4o / GPT-4.1	Automatically routed to GPT-5.2 Auto
Logic Tasks	o4-mini	Replaced by GPT-5-mini
Tone/Vibe	Fixed "Warm" (4o)	Manual Toggles (Friendly, Professional, etc.)
Custom GPTs	GPT-4o (until April 3)	Defaulting to GPT-5.2

The "Adult" Evolution

Alongside this cleanup, OpenAI is leaning into a more segmented user experience. The company has rolled out age prediction tools in most markets. This allows them to offer a "ChatGPT for Adults" (18+) that features fewer refusals and less "preachy" responses, while maintaining strict safety guardrails for younger users—a move designed to address the "overly cautious" complaints that plagued the GPT-4 era.

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Next Steps for Users

Your existing chat history remains safe. However, when you send a new message in an old GPT-4o thread, the system will now respond using the GPT-5.2 engine.