OpenAI Restores GPT-4o Access And Lets Users Choose Models After Backlash

OpenAI restored its GPT-4o model and ChatGPT’s model picker this Tuesday following user backlash. The startup had released GPT-5 last week with a new centralized approach that removed previous models—something many users disliked.

OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, announced on the social media platform X new updates for the company’s chatbot. The latest and most advanced model, GPT-5, now offers multiple processing options, and the company has significantly extended its interaction capacity.

“You can now choose between ‘Auto’, ‘Fast’, and ‘Thinking’ for GPT-5,” wrote Altman, noting that most users will likely stick with the default “Auto” mode. “Rate limits are now 3,000 messages/week with GPT-5 Thinking, and then extra capacity on GPT-5 Thinking mini after that limit.”

Updates to ChatGPT:

You can now choose between “Auto”, “Fast”, and “Thinking” for GPT-5. Most users will want Auto, but the additional control will be useful for some people.

Rate limits are now 3,000 messages/week with GPT-5 Thinking, and then extra capacity on GPT-5 Thinking…

— Sam Altman (@sama) August 13, 2025

Altman added that the limits could change in the future depending on usage. According to Tech Radar, the previous limit was just 200 messages per week, which sparked criticism, especially after the company removed access to the popular GPT-4o model, which has now been restored for paid users.

“4o is back in the model picker for all paid users by default,” explained Altman. “If we ever do deprecate it, we will give plenty of notice.”

In an interview with The Verge, OpenAI’s head of ChatGPT, Nick Turley, said they didn’t expect “the level of attachment” users had with the previous model and that the team was aiming for simplicity.

Altman added that paid users can enable the “Show additional models” setting to access multiple options, including o3, GPT-5 Thinking Mini, GPT-4.1, and GPT-4.5—the latter available only to Pro users.

Following the highly anticipated release of GPT-5, users also complained about the model’s personality—now a recurring concern among users—as it was described as “corporate” and “bland.”

“We are working on an update to GPT-5’s personality, which should feel warmer than the current personality but not as annoying (to most users) as GPT-4o,” wrote Altman. “However, one learning for us from the past few days is we really just need to get to a world with more per-user customization of model personality.”