ChatGPT 5 gets major upgrade with 3 new response modes

Chat GPT app icon is seen on a smartphone screen. Photo: AP

On Wednesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman unveiled a series of updates to ChatGPT. These updates give users more control over the company’s latest GPT-5 model and expand the model options available to paid subscribers.

This was reported by Sam Altman on X.

Powerful new controls for GPT-5 users

In a post, Altman announced that users can now select one of three response modes for GPT-5: "Auto", "Fast", or "Thinking". While most users are expected to stick with Auto, these additional settings aim to help those seeking faster replies or deeper reasoning.

The weekly rate limit for GPT-5 Thinking has been set at 3,000 messages. After reaching this limit, users will have access to extra capacity via GPT-5 Thinking Mini.

The model now supports a 196k-token context limit, enabling it to process much longer conversations and documents. Altman noted that these limits could change over time based on usage patterns.

GPT-4o returns

He also confirmed that GPT-4o is now available in the model picker for all paid users. There is a "Show additional models" toggle in ChatGPT's web settings that unlocks access to options like o3, 4.1, and GPT-5 Thinking Mini. However, the GPT-4.5 model remains exclusive to Pro subscribers, as Altman cited its high GPU cost.

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