OpenAI is rolling out significant updates to its ChatGPT platform, making advanced artificial intelligence more accessible and powerful for free users. The company announced this week that free and "Go" tier users will now get the smarter GPT-5.6 Luna model as their default, replacing the older GPT-5.5 Instant. This update also brings unlimited text chats and a new "Think" button designed for more complex questions.[openai+4]
Enhanced Intelligence for All
The move to GPT-5.6 Luna means free ChatGPT users now have access to a more capable and efficient model. This new model is optimized for everyday conversations and provides faster responses. It represents a substantial upgrade over the previous GPT-5.5 Instant model.OpenAI aims to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits everyone, and these changes reflect that mission.[androidauthority+3]
For users on paid plans, specifically Plus and Pro subscribers, OpenAI also updated the flagship GPT-5.6 Sol model. This premium model now delivers more reliable facts and provides highly focused answers.Paid users can also use a new slider to control how much "thought" ChatGPT puts into each response, allowing for customized levels of detail and reasoning.OpenAI designed GPT-5.6 Sol to handle complex tasks across coding, research, and cybersecurity.[openai+6]
Unlocking Deeper Conversations
A key new feature for free users is the "Think" button. When users have a harder question that requires more processing, clicking this button prompts GPT-5.6 Luna to take additional time to generate a thoughtful answer.This allows free users to tap into higher reasoning capabilities for challenging queries, despite still having limits on file uploads, images, and other advanced tools.[openai+7]
The updates to GPT-5.6 Sol for Plus and Pro users also focus on improving answer quality. The model now adapts its level of detail to the question, avoids unnecessary formatting, and offers helpful corrections when a simple agreement would not be useful.This ensures a more direct and relevant interaction, whether asking a quick question or working on multi-step planning and research.[openai+4]
Broader Availability and Impact
OpenAI began rolling out GPT-5.6 Luna as the default model for free and Go users this week. The unlimited text chats and the new "Think" button are becoming available next week.This phased rollout ensures that millions of users worldwide gain access to these enhanced AI capabilities. OpenAI states that over a billion people use ChatGPT every week for a wide range of tasks.[openai+5]
OpenAI first launched its GPT-5 large language model on August 7, 2025.Since then, the company has continuously refined and expanded its models, including various versions like GPT-5.1, GPT-5.2, and GPT-5.5, before the current GPT-5.6 series.These ongoing improvements aim to make AI more reliable, accurate, and useful for everyone. The latest updates for ChatGPT mark another step in making advanced AI tools widely accessible and impactful for daily use.[botpress+6]
