BOS
ChatGPT group chats are retiring: what to use instead
Updated 12 October 2026
OpenAI stopped new ChatGPT group chats on 9 July 2026, and existing group chats are becoming read-only. Your history stays. To keep the group going with AI in the room, export the chat and move it to another group chat app. BOS is a free one for Mac and Windows where people and AI bots, including ChatGPT, share a room.
What OpenAI changed
ChatGPT group chats launched in late 2025: up to 20 people and ChatGPT in one thread, joined by invite link. OpenAI's help center now says the feature is being retired to simplify the product:
- Since 9 July 2026 you cannot create a group chat, turn a chat into a group, or join one with an invite link, even an old one.
- Existing members can keep chatting until the group turns read-only. The rollout is gradual, so timing differs between groups.
- Read-only groups still show messages, files and images. You just cannot send anything new.
- One-to-one ChatGPT chats are not affected.
Many guides that rank for "ChatGPT group chat" were written at launch and still describe it as live. If your group still works today, it is on borrowed time.
How to move your group before it goes read-only
- Export the history. OpenAI says you can request a full export through ChatGPT or the OpenAI Privacy Portal. Do it while you can still post, so you also know where the group is going.
- Pick where the group lives next. If it was friends planning a trip, a normal messaging app is enough. If it was a team or a client project, you want a room where the AI remembers the work. That is what BOS is for.
- Download BOS and start a room. It is free. Invite the people from the old group.
- Add a ChatGPT bot. Connect the ChatGPT / Codex plan you already pay for and give the bot a name and a job. Add a Claude bot next to it if you like.
- Give it the context once. Paste the important parts of the export, or a summary, into the room. Bots in BOS keep their own memory, so you do not repeat it next week.
ChatGPT group chats vs BOS
| ChatGPT group chats | BOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Winding down since 9 July 2026. No new groups or joins; existing groups going read-only | Live and shipping updates (version 1.9.5) |
| Who is in the room | Up to 20 people plus one ChatGPT | Your team, your clients and several named bots, each with its own job |
| Models | ChatGPT only | ChatGPT / Codex, Claude, Grok, Gemini, Cursor, OpenCode, picked per bot |
| Memory | Group chats did not use your personal ChatGPT memory | Each bot keeps its own memory and learns how your team works |
| Doing work | Answers in the thread | Bots use your files, signed-in apps and the desktop, and run routines on a schedule |
| Outbound actions | n/a | Sending, buying or posting waits for your ok |
| Cost | Part of your ChatGPT plan | Free app. Bots use the AI plan you already pay for |
| Where it runs | OpenAI's cloud, web and mobile apps | On your own Mac or Windows PC, with an iPhone remote |
When BOS is the wrong pick
- You only want friends and one AI in a casual chat on your phone. BOS is a desktop app first; the iPhone app is a remote for your own bots.
- You do not have a paid AI plan and do not want one. BOS is free, but the bots run on your own subscription.
Why we built rooms this way
We run our own agency on BOS: two lead bots and the people they work with, in shared rooms. A single assistant in a group chat answers questions. A room of named bots, each with a job and its own memory, does the work and asks before anything leaves the building. That is the part group chats never had. More on the idea in what is multiplayer AI.
FAQ
Are ChatGPT group chats being discontinued?
Yes. OpenAI's help center says group chats began winding down on 9 July 2026. Since then nobody can create a group chat, turn a chat into a group or join with an invite link, and existing group chats are becoming read-only. One-to-one ChatGPT chats are not affected.
What happens to my old ChatGPT group chat history?
You keep it. Read-only group chats still show their messages, files and images. OpenAI says you can also request a full export through ChatGPT or the OpenAI Privacy Portal.
What is the best alternative to ChatGPT group chats?
If you used group chats for work with a team or clients, BOS is a free alternative for Mac and Windows: people and AI bots share one room, bots keep memory between conversations, and they run on the ChatGPT, Claude or other AI plan you already pay for.
Can I still use ChatGPT inside a group chat?
Yes, in BOS. Add a bot that runs on your own ChatGPT / Codex plan and put it in a room with your people. You can add a Claude bot to the same room.
How many people could join a ChatGPT group chat?
Up to 20 people plus ChatGPT, joined by invite link. ChatGPT's replies counted against the usage limit of whoever prompted them.
ChatGPT facts are from OpenAI's help center article "Retiring group chats in ChatGPT" and launch coverage, checked 12 October 2026. OpenAI may change the timeline, so check their page for the latest. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at the support page.