On the paid ChatGPT Plus and Pro plans, automatic switching to a higher level of reasoning is no longer available. Now, users must manually select their preferred "thinking" level. OpenAI has disabled the automatic complexity enhancement feature for these plans. Requests to the model asking it to "think deeper" no longer change the depth of the response. Detailed answers are still available, but they must be chosen manually. Plus users also face restrictions on access to the highest levels.

Changes to Reasoning Levels

OpenAI has stopped automatically increasing the reasoning level on the two paid plans for individual users. Quick responses on ChatGPT Plus and Pro will no longer become longer or more detailed for complex questions unless the user adjusts the settings manually. The option to receive more comprehensive answers remains, but now requires manual selection.

The release notes from September 14 state that requests to ChatGPT with phrases like "think deeper" or "think thoroughly" no longer automatically switch the reasoning level. For many users, this feature was important.

Changes in the Browser Version

The web version has also seen updates. The "Advanced Intelligence" setting is no longer available for Plus and Pro users. In ChatGPT Business, this option remains in the "Settings" — "General" section. The system can now only change the level automatically for safety reasons.

Instead of the previous settings, a Thinking slider with five levels has appeared: Instant, Medium, High, Extra High, and Pro. Plus users see only three of these. The Extra High and Pro levels are available only on the Pro plan and in business plans, according to the OpenAI availability table. If a Plus user asks a complex question without changing the settings, they receive a quick answer, which is not indicated on the screen.

Pro Plan Limitations

The Pro plans also have their own limits. Usage restrictions are stricter than the price might suggest. The $200 Pro plan allows for 200 GPT-6 Pro messages per week. The $100 plan allows 50 messages per week, and GPT-5.6 Sol Pro uses the same limit. Once the limit is reached, ChatGPT automatically switches to GPT-5.6 Thinking at the Medium level.

Free Plans and Go

No changes have been made to the free and Go plans. The free version still has a Think button, which uses GPT-5.6 Luna, not the more powerful Sol. The Go plan works similarly. The buttons look the same, but they use different models behind the scenes.

Model Availability

All models remain available — now they can be accessed via the slider. Users who are unaware of this feature may end up paying monthly for capabilities they do not use.