OpenAI Opens Free ChatGPT Chats with GPT-5.6 Luna

OpenAI announced a major update to ChatGPT for free and paid users. GPT-5.6 Luna becomes the default model for Free and Go fares this week. An OpenAI post in X on August 6, 2026, published at 23:35 a.m., said that unlimited text chats with Luna will start opening on August 7. In subsequent posts, the company already describes Think for Free and Go and the slider for Plus and Pro as available "now.".

Important: This is a phased launch, not a promise that a new feature will appear on all accounts at the same time. OpenAI did not name the exact watch. In addition, the word “unlimited” only refers to normal text messages: restrictions on files, images and other tools will remain.

## What OpenAI announced

The announcement was published on August 6, 2026 and relates to ChatGPT – a regular chat on the web, mobile devices and computers. In it, OpenAI divided the changes by tariffs and terms.

Пользователи	Что изменится	Срок
Free и Go	GPT-5.6 Luna станет моделью по умолчанию	В течение этой недели
Free и Go	Безлимитные текстовые чаты с GPT-5.6 Luna и кнопка Think	С 7 августа, поэтапно
Plus и Pro	Обновлённая GPT-5.6 Sol и ползунок глубины рассуждений	С 7 августа
Work и Codex	Версия GPT-5.6 Sol в рамках этого обновления не меняется	Без изменений

В официальном сообщении OpenAI says: GPT-5.6 Luna will be the default model for Free and Go this week, and unlimited text chats and Think are part of the free-to-play expansion. OpenAI's August 6 post in X specified the deadline as "from tomorrow," i.e. August 7. Subsequent OpenAI publications, appearing about 16 hours later, say the Think for Free and Go and the slider for Plus and Pro are already available. The best way to describe this is as a step-by-step rollout across accounts and regions.

## GPT-5.6 Luna will be the main model of Free and Go

The GPT-5.6 Luna is the fastest and most affordable model in the GPT-5.6 family. Before that, ChatGPT operated a different scheme: GPT-5.5 Instant was the basic option for everyday answers, and GPT-5.6 Sol was used in reasoning modes on paid tariffs.

Free and Go users will receive regular responses based on GPT-5.6 Luna. This does not mean that they will have access to the flagship GPT-5.6 Sol: OpenAI brings to the free level is the fast model, optimized for mass everyday queries.

The company says that in its own review of financial, medical and legal requests, responses with at least one factual error were about 62% less common in Luna and 68% less common in Sol compared to GPT-5.5 Instant. This is an internal OpenAI test, so the numbers should be taken as a manufacturer’s statement rather than an independent comparison.

In addition to accuracy, OpenAI promises more collected answers, less redundant formatting and more consistent model behavior in fast and complex dialogues.

## What does “unlimited text chat” mean

From August 7, Free and Go users will be able to continue normal text conversations without the previous message limit. This is a major change for those who use ChatGPT as a daily assistant: for questions, correspondence, explanations, planning, text editing and quick ideas.

However, unlimitedness is limited by several conditions:

• we are talking only about the usual text;
• openAI protects against abuse;
• limits are saved for downloading files;
• restrictions remain for image creation;
• other ChatGPT tools are also not unlimited.

In other words, Free is turning into unlimited text chat, but not completely unlimited ChatGPT. If a user frequently works with documents, tables, pictures, or data analysis, they may still face separate quotas.

## What is the Think Button

Think is a new button for questions that need more reasoning. In normal mode, GPT-5.6 Luna must respond quickly. After clicking Think, the model gets more time to parse the problem and can better handle multi-step questions, math, complex code, document comparison, and planning. According to OpenAI’s subsequent message in X, Free and Go users can already use Think where the update reached their account.

Think does not switch the user to GPT-5.6 Sol. OpenAI describes it as a mode that gives GPT-5.6 Luna more time to work on a response.

This is an important interface change: the free user does not have to choose between multiple models or understand the names Instant and Thinking. For a simple question, you can use fast mode, and for a complex one, click Think.

## What will change for Plus and Pro

Plus and Pro users are already getting an updated GPT-5.6 Sol. OpenAI changes not only the quality of the model, but also the principle of choice of mode.

The same Sol must now serve quick answers and deep reasoning. The new slider allows you to choose how much time ChatGPT will spend thinking about the answer:

• the lower level is suitable for quick questions and short tasks;
• medium - for normal work, text and information search;
• high for planning, research, programming and decisions where depth is more important.

According to OpenAI, the updated Sol answers the main question better, less often overloads text with formatting and more willingly corrects erroneous user assumptions. The slider will be available in ChatGPT on the web, mobile devices and computers.

This update applies to the usual ChatGPT. OpenAI specifically specifies that the version of GPT-5.6 Sol that runs on Work and Codex does not change as part of this release.

## Why this is important for free users

So far, ChatGPT’s free fare has combined a strong base model with dynamic limits. The user could start a dialogue, reach a quota and wait for the reset. OpenAI removes the main barrier to text.

This makes Free more suitable for:

• constant correspondence with an AI assistant;
• teaching and explaining complex topics;
• editing of documents and posts;
• planning trips, projects and tasks;
• brainstorming and generation of ideas;
• daily questions without counting messages.

OpenAI is also a way to simplify the product. The user does not need to constantly monitor the limit of a regular chat or choose between older versions of models. Luna works fast, and Think adds depth when you really need it.

## Why not everyone gets an update at the same time

An OpenAI post on August 6 indicated the start of unlimited text chats on August 7. In the main blog, the wording is less accurate – “from next week”, and in subsequent posts, the company already writes about Think and the slider as available “now”. The exact rollout time for each region and OpenAI account is not specified.

Therefore, access can appear gradually. If a new model, unlimited text, or Think button isn’t immediately visible, it doesn’t necessarily mean an account error — the rollout may not have reached a specific user yet. Check the changes in ChatGPT itself after updating the application or rebooting the web page.

OpenAI reference pages with the previous GPT-5.6 availability scheme may not be updated at the same time as the product. For this change, the primary source is the new August 6 announcement, which specifically states that Work and Codex remain outside the current update.

## Outcome

OpenAI is really preparing a big upgrade for free ChatGPT users:

• GPT-5.6 Luna will be the default model for Free and Go this week;
• from August 7, regular text chats should become unlimited: this is the date that the OpenAI post calls in X, and subsequent publications talk about the launch of the “now” function;
• free and Go will have a Think button for more complex questions;
• files, images and other tools will retain their own limitations;
• Plus and Pro will receive an updated GPT-5.6 Sol and a depth slider;
• the changes are related to ChatGPT, and Work and Codex are unchanged in this release.

Thus, the initial rumor was based on a real official announcement. According to an OpenAI post on August 6, the launch of unlimited text began on August 7, and subsequent publications confirm the appearance of Think and the slider. The actual availability of features can still depend on the rollout speed for a particular account.

We have already written about the capabilities of the GPT-5.6 family and the comparison of Sol, Terra and Luna in a separate разборе на Wikivibe.

## Frequent questions

### When will GPT-5.6 Luna be available for free?

OpenAI said Luna will be the default model for Free and Go this week. A post from August 6 states that unlimited text chats with Luna will begin on August 7. The exact time of appearance of functions for individual accounts is not named, so the launch can take place gradually.

### When will unlimited messages appear in ChatGPT Free?

OpenAI's August 6 post states "from tomorrow," that is, from August 7, 2026. The main blog used the wording “from next week”, and subsequent posts talk about the availability of features “now”. Most likely, this is a phased launch; unlimited only applies to regular text chats and operates with security limitations.

### Will there be unlimited files and image generation?

Nope. OpenAI explicitly specifies that limits will remain for files, images, and other ChatGPT tools.

### What does Think do in ChatGPT?

Think gives GPT-5.6 Luna more time to reason. The button is designed for complex questions where depth is more important than maximum speed.

### Will Free and Go get GPT-5.6 Sol?

Nope. As part of this announcement, free users are given GPT-5.6 Luna. The updated GPT-5.6 Sol and the depth of reasoning slider are for Plus and Pro.

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Source: официальный анонс OpenAI от 6 августа 2026 года, страница GPT-5.6 в ChatGPT, официальное сообщение Axios.