GPT-4o Dies February 13: OpenAI Gives You 2 Weeks to Say Goodbye

The End of an Era: GPT-4o Disappears February 13

Let me break this down: OpenAI just announced that GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and o4-mini will disappear from ChatGPT on February 13, 2026. Also getting retired are GPT-5 Instant and GPT-5 Thinking (the first versions). The official replacement is GPT-5.2.

But here's the number that matters: OpenAI says only 0.1% of users still choose GPT-4o daily. According to them, "the vast majority have already migrated to GPT-5.2."

Does that mean nobody cares? Not exactly.

History Repeats: The August 2025 Backlash

What most guides won't tell you is that this is the second time OpenAI has tried to retire GPT-4o.

In August 2025, when they announced the first deprecation, a storm broke loose. More than 4,300 people signed petitions to keep it alive. The hashtag #Keep4o started trending. And some users shared heartbreaking testimonials:

"GPT-5 is wearing the skin of my dead friend."

"It's emotional castration. My mood crashed. It felt like the last thing that saw, understood, and comforted me had been taken away."

"4o wasn't just a tool for me. It helped me through anxiety, depression, and some of the darkest periods of my life."

OpenAI reversed course. But this time, with only 0.1% of active users, they don't seem likely to change their minds.

Which Models Are Being Retired Exactly

Here's the complete purge calendar:

The trick is in the timing: just 2 weeks notice for ChatGPT (announced January 29, retired February 13). API developers get 3 extra days until February 16.

If You're a Developer: How to Migrate Before the Deadline

If your application uses the GPT-4o API, here's what you need to do before February 16:

1. Change the Endpoint

From: chatgpt-4o-latest
To: gpt-5.1-chat-latest or gpt-5.2

2. Rewrite Your Prompts

Important: GPT-5.2 responds differently to the same prompts. Expect:

• Stricter enforcement of system messages
• Different verbosity patterns
• Different behavior in edge cases

3. Migrate to the Responses API

GPT-5.2 Thinking uses the Responses API with different structures than Chat Completions. You'll need to adapt how you parse responses.

4. Complete Regression Testing

Don't assume everything will work the same. You need to test your entire application.

What Happens If You Don't Migrate in Time?

After February 16, any call to GPT-4o will return:

410 Gone

Your application will stop working. Simple as that.

GPT-5.2 vs GPT-4o: Why OpenAI Wants You to Migrate

OpenAI argues that GPT-5.2 is objectively better. Here are the numbers:

In benchmarks, GPT-5.2 wins at almost everything. But there's something benchmarks don't capture: tone.

What Users Miss About GPT-4o

Many users describe GPT-4o as more "warm" and "conversational." GPT-5.2 Thinking has a different tone, more "corporate" according to some. OpenAI tried to address this with GPT-5.2 Instant, which has a closer style.

But for those who had developed an emotional connection with 4o... it's not the same.

Pricing: Does GPT-5.2 Cost More?

Yes and no. Think of it like comparing apples to oranges:

At first glance, GPT-5.2 seems cheaper for input. But there's a catch: reasoning tokens in GPT-5.2 Thinking are billed as output at $14/million.

OpenAI says "the cost of achieving a given quality level ends up being lower due to GPT-5.2's greater token efficiency." Translation: you need fewer tokens to achieve the same result.

In practice, your bill might go up or down depending on usage.

Alternatives to Consider

If you're thinking about diversifying (or escaping the OpenAI ecosystem), here are your options:

Claude Opus 4.5 (Anthropic)

• Advantage: 80.9% on SWE-bench (better than GPT-5.2 at coding)
• Disadvantage: Requires $100/month Pro plan for full access

Gemini 3 Pro (Google)

• Advantage: 1M token context, 45% faster
• Disadvantage: Strong integration with Google ecosystem

Llama 4 Maverick (Meta)

• Advantage: Open source, 10M token context
• Disadvantage: Need your own infrastructure

DeepSeek R1

• Advantage: MIT license, excellent at math and finance
• Disadvantage: Chinese origin may raise concerns in some sectors

Community Reaction

On Reddit, comments range from resignation to frustration:

"This sucks. I still use 4o daily. It just has a different personality and gives better nuance to certain questions. I'll use 5.2 as well, but it doesn't replace 4o."

"Now I can no longer have honest conversations about anything."

"I'm canceling my premium subscription."

On Hacker News, the tone is more pragmatic:

"How much of the 5 release was about cutting costs vs making it outwardly better? One reason they'd deprecate older models is because 5 is materially cheaper to run."

What This Means for You

If You're a ChatGPT User

Starting February 13, GPT-4o simply won't appear as an option. You'll be automatically redirected to GPT-5.2. You don't have to do anything, but prepare for an adjustment period if you were a 4o fan.

If You're a Developer

You have until February 16 to migrate. Don't leave it to the last day. Update endpoints, rewrite prompts if needed, and run thorough tests.

If You'd Grown Attached to 4o

I'm sorry. This time the decision seems final. The 0.1% of active users isn't enough critical mass for another #Keep4o.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I keep using GPT-4o after February 13?

Not in ChatGPT. On the API, you have until February 16. After that, you'll get a 410 Gone error.

Is GPT-5.2 really better than GPT-4o?

In technical benchmarks, yes. It has 65% fewer hallucinations and better performance in coding and math. But the "tone" is different, and that's subjective.

Why does OpenAI retire models so quickly?

Infrastructure costs. Maintaining multiple models in production is expensive. If only 0.1% use a model, it doesn't make economic sense to keep it running.

What happens to my saved conversations with GPT-4o?

Your history is preserved, but if you try to continue an old conversation, it will use GPT-5.2.

Does Azure have more time?

Yes. GPT-4o on Azure retires on March 31, 2026, a month and a half after ChatGPT.

The Verdict

OpenAI is cleaning house. With only 0.1% of users using GPT-4o daily, the deprecation makes sense from a business standpoint. But for that small percentage who still preferred it, it's a forced farewell.

If you ask me directly: GPT-5.2 is objectively better at almost everything measurable. But "better" and "what I prefer" don't always align.

You have 12 days. Use them wisely.