ChatGPT is about to become one app again. In an email to users, first reported by BleepingComputer on 1 November, OpenAI said it will test a combined Chat and Work experience with a small group of users in the coming weeks. The old ChatGPT Classic desktop app now shows a banner saying it will retire on 30 January 2027, and OpenAI says ChatGPT and Codex will draw from one shared usage allowance. For anyone who uses ChatGPT every day, the allowance change matters more than the new layout.
What OpenAI announced
The details come from OpenAI's email to users, which BleepingComputer, TechCrunch and 9to5Mac all quote. OpenAI says it will begin testing the combined experience in the coming weeks, first with a small group of users who give feedback before a wider rollout. In the email's words, the aim is to let you move "from exploring an idea to having ChatGPT carry it through, all in one place."
Work is ChatGPT's agent mode, built for longer tasks. As Zapier's guide to it explains, you give Work a goal and some context, and it can read your files, connect to apps through plugins and produce documents, presentations or small web apps. Codex, OpenAI's coding agent, is not part of the merge. The email says it "will remain a separate experience in the ChatGPT desktop app."
The Classic app has a leaving date
9to5Mac and AppleInsider report that ChatGPT Classic, the older desktop app, now displays the message "This app will retire on January 30, 2027." The banner links to the ChatGPT download page, and users quoted the same notice on OpenAI's community forum on 31 October. OpenAI renamed the old app Classic a few months ago, when it released a new desktop app that puts ChatGPT, Work and Codex under one roof.
That new app has drawn complaints about its layout. TechCrunch describes it as confusing, with Chat and Work tabs inside a ChatGPT section that sits next to a separate Codex section, and 9to5Mac reports similar criticism. TechCrunch presents the merge as OpenAI's fix for that confusion.
One usage allowance for ChatGPT and Codex
The change with the most practical effect is about limits. OpenAI's email says your use of ChatGPT and Codex will draw from the same allowance, replacing their separate limits. A few details from the email, as reported by BleepingComputer, with the Instant point also in 9to5Mac:
- Unlimited use of the Instant model is included in your plan and does not draw from the shared allowance.
- More advanced models and complex tasks use up the allowance faster.
- You can see your combined remaining usage and reset times under Settings, then Usage.
- If you run out, you can wait for the reset, upgrade your plan or buy credits for eligible features.
OpenAI says most users will not need to wait for resets more often than they do today, while TechCrunch quotes the email as saying some people might, depending on their usage and the models they pick. That is OpenAI's own expectation, and there is no independent data on it yet. The people most likely to notice are heavy Codex users, because their coding sessions will now share a budget with their everyday chats. The email, as quoted in the coverage we read, gives no start date for the shared allowance, so treat the timing as open.
How this compares with Claude and with recent limit changes
OpenAI is not the first to fold chat and agent work into one window. Anthropic merged Claude's chat and Cowork into one interface in September, as TechCrunch reported on 16 September. Both companies are betting that people want one place to talk to the assistant and hand it real tasks.
The allowance change also follows a busy week for ChatGPT limits. BleepingComputer reports that OpenAI doubled the Work and Codex allowances on its Pro 100, Pro 200 and Pro 500 plans from 29 October, after a backlash over a planned cut of 50%. OpenAI has not published exact numbers for any tier, which makes it hard to compare plans precisely. If you are weighing ChatGPT against Claude for agent work, our piece on Claude Ultra and its usage limits covers the other side.
What stays the same
The new desktop app is already available, and the Classic app keeps working until 30 January 2027. Codex keeps its own place in the desktop app. None of the coverage we read says users must export or move data, though it is worth checking that your recent chats appear in the new app well before January.
What to do this week
- If you still use the Classic desktop app, install the new ChatGPT app now and use it for a week, so the switch is not forced on you in January.
- Open Settings, then Usage, and note your current remaining usage and reset times. That gives you a baseline to compare against once the shared allowance reaches your account.
- If you use Codex for long coding sessions, keep an eye on how fast the shared allowance drops on days you code, and plan heavy runs for after a reset.
- Try one real task in Work, such as turning a document into a short presentation, so the combined app feels familiar when it arrives.
For a plain introduction to what ChatGPT can do, start with the ChatGPT guide in Learn.