User finds ChatGPT routing changed: Medium/High effort tasks now default to 5.5 mini

coylter · reddit · 2026-08-23

A user reports a significant and unannounced change in ChatGPT's model routing strategy. Reproducible tests show that while 'Instant' mode uses 5.6 Sol, 'Medium', 'High', and 'Very High' modes now all default to 5.5 mini. The user notes a noticeable degradation in performance with 5.5 mini, citing basic errors like forgetting to fill in email subjects.

Related event: Users Find ChatGPT Quietly Routing GPT-5.6 Sol to 5.5-mini(2 posts)→

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