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

OpenAI has announced that its GPT-4o model, a significant milestone in multimodal AI architecture, will be retired from the API platform by mid-February 2026, with access ending on February 16, 2026. This decision reflects the model's status as a legacy system with relatively low API usage compared to newer iterations like GPT-5.1, although it remains available to individual users within ChatGPT's consumer tiers. The retirement marks a strategic shift as OpenAI phases out older models in favor of more advanced systems, while providing developers with ample warning before deprecation. GPT