Reviewed by Irfan Ahmad
OpenAI is expanding access to its latest ChatGPT models, making GPT‑5.6 Luna the default model for Free and Go users this week.
The AI giant said unlimited text chats and a new Think button for harder questions will become available to those users next week.
GPT‑5.6 Sol has also been updated for Plus and Pro users to provide more focused responses and be “more reliable with facts,” while a new slider lets users choose how much thought ChatGPT puts into an answer.
OpenAI said 1 billion people turn to ChatGPT each week for questions, web searches, planning, research, advice and complex decisions.
The update comes as competition in the GenAI chatbot market remains strong, with ChatGPT losing some share of daily active users to rival apps.
Apptopia’s U.S. mobile-app data shows ChatGPT’s share of daily active users fluctuating but remaining broadly lower in July 2026 than in November 2025, while Claude and Meta AI gained share. Gemini remained a major chatbot app, although its share also declined over the period.
Globally, downloads of the most popular GenAI chatbot apps recorded their first negative-growth month in July 2026, according to Apptopia.
Image credit: Apptopia
Read next:
• Study finds fake views cost up to $6.7 per 1,000 interactions, Facebook comments cost $287, and YouTube subscribers cost $78
• AI gives us access to plenty of advice, but we do not make as much use of it as we could
OpenAI is expanding access to its latest ChatGPT models, making GPT‑5.6 Luna the default model for Free and Go users this week.
The AI giant said unlimited text chats and a new Think button for harder questions will become available to those users next week.
GPT‑5.6 Sol has also been updated for Plus and Pro users to provide more focused responses and be “more reliable with facts,” while a new slider lets users choose how much thought ChatGPT puts into an answer.
OpenAI said 1 billion people turn to ChatGPT each week for questions, web searches, planning, research, advice and complex decisions.
The update comes as competition in the GenAI chatbot market remains strong, with ChatGPT losing some share of daily active users to rival apps.
Apptopia’s U.S. mobile-app data shows ChatGPT’s share of daily active users fluctuating but remaining broadly lower in July 2026 than in November 2025, while Claude and Meta AI gained share. Gemini remained a major chatbot app, although its share also declined over the period.
Globally, downloads of the most popular GenAI chatbot apps recorded their first negative-growth month in July 2026, according to Apptopia.
Read next:
• Study finds fake views cost up to $6.7 per 1,000 interactions, Facebook comments cost $287, and YouTube subscribers cost $78
• AI gives us access to plenty of advice, but we do not make as much use of it as we could
