ChatGPT App Just Got A Big Makeover Ahead Of The GPT-5 Release

Despite earlier concerns that OpenAI might delay the GPT-5 release, the launch is now here. OpenAI on Wednesday announced on social media that a livestream would take place at 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday, August 7, and GitHub leaked the big ChatGPT upgrade a few hours ahead of time. There's even more evidence to suggest that GPT-5 is indeed coming on Thursday, as OpenAI gave the ChatGPT user interface another significant makeover.

OpenAI routinely makes changes to the ChatGPT user interface. They usually happen when new features are released or when OpenAI decides to simplify the prompt composer. As a longtime ChatGPT user, I'll spot UI changes as soon as they're deployed. That's what I did early on Thursday, when I saw an even simpler UI for the ChatGPT web experience. The mobile apps for iPhone and iPad received updates this week to mirror that experience.

Taken alone, the ChatGPT user interface update wouldn't necessarily indicate the GPT-5 update is coming. But considering the context above, it's clear that OpenAI is laying the groundwork for the GPT-5 release on Thursday. The new UI also seems to confirm one of GPT-5's biggest features: The AI should be able to determine what model to use without explicit user input. Compare the screenshots that follow to the top image, and you'll immediately see the changes.

The image above shows the simplified ChatGPT chat window and the new prompt composer available on the web. As a ChatGPT user, I'm a big fan of the new UI. The prompt composer puts the focus on text input, which will likely be the main way you interact with the AI. The prompt composer contains just three buttons. On the left, a "Plus" symbol lets you pick the tools available in ChatGPT, upload files and images, and connect to third-party sources. On the right, you have the "Dictate" and "Use Voice Mode" buttons.

Chris Smith

Previously, the prompt composer featured a "Tools" button that would give you access to the various modes available in ChatGPT (Agent, Deep Research, Create Image, Study and learn, Web Search, and Canvas). They're all under the Plus symbol, now. Given Sam Altman and OpenAI's teasers about GPT-5, you won't have to worry about picking the right tool for ChatGPT once the update rolls out. GPT-5 will determine what it needs to perform its tasks automatically. However, the AI might make mistakes, or the user might want to choose one of the tools in the menu for specific tasks. I don't expect these tools to disappear from the Plus menu.

Chris Smith

At the top of the ChatGPT chat window sits the model picker. It lists the same models that have been available to ChatGPT users since OpenAI introduced o3, o4-mini, and GPT-4.1. The arrival of GPT-5 will bring new models to that list. Also, OpenAI might retire some of the standalone models in that menu. Again, GPT-5 will decide which resources to use for any given prompt. This might include picking a reasoning model for a task or a simpler model (4o-type or a mini version of GPT-5) for others.

When you select a ChatGPT model from the top model picker, the web page's address changes accordingly. Choose o3, and the URL becomes: "https://chatgpt.com/?model=o3." Pick GPT-4o and you get "https://chatgpt.com/?model=gpt-4o." It's easy to guess what you'd have to type into the browser address bar to get to the GPT-5 model: "https://chatgpt.com/?model=gpt-5."

I tried accessing that page in the hours leading to OpenAI's GPT-5 launch event, and something interesting happened. The ChatGPT page reloads with a new model that you can't select from a list. It's called "ChatGPT" instead of "ChatGPT o3" or "ChatGPT 4o." Also, when the model is set as "ChatGPT" after that page refreshes, the Plus menu will prevent you from adding files. All other menu items seem to work. However, asking this "ChatGPT" model to identify itself will lead to the AI telling you it's using the GPT-4o model.

Chris Smith

I'll also point out another key detail here. The ChatGPT UI changes above are available in Europe at the time of this writing. This suggests GPT-5 will be available in the EU region as soon as OpenAI flips the switch rather than seeing delays. Europe usually sees delays for certain ChatGPT products and upgrades due to the region's stronger regulatory framework for tech products.