OpenAI is ending API access to fan-favorite GPT-4o model in February 2026

OpenAI has sent out emails notifying API customers that its chatgpt-4o-latest model will be retired from the developer platform in mid-February 2026,. Access to the model is scheduled to end on February 16, 2026, creating a roughly three-month transition period for remaining applications still built on GPT-4o.An OpenAI spokesperson emphasized that this timeline applies only to the API. OpenAI has not announced any schedule for removing GPT-4o from ChatGPT, where it remains an option for individual consumers and users across paid subscription tiers. Internally, the model is considered a legacy system with relatively low API usage compared to the newer GPT-5.1 series, but the company expects to provide developers with extended warning before any model is removed.The planned retirement marks a shift for a model that, upon its release, was both a technical milestone and a cultural phenomenon within OpenAI’s ecosystem.GPT-4o’s significance and why its removal sparked user backlashReleased r