Audio Chat Causes Entire Chat History Loss & Model Switch Restriction

API Bugs
1

[Bug Report] Audio Chat Causes Entire Chat History Loss & Model Switch Restriction

Environment:

  • Devices: iOS (ChatGPT App), Chrome / Safari (Web)

  • Model: GPT-5 (issue started after its release)

  • Timeframe: February 2025 onward

Issue Description

In an existing chat thread with many rounds of text conversation:

  1. Text chat continues normally for several turns;

  2. Accidentally start an Audio Chat by tapping the microphone;

  3. After closing the Audio Chat, switch back to text mode;

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Problem occurs: the thread’s entire previous chat history disappears.

  • Only the very first user message remains visible;

  • All subsequent history is replaced by GPT’s audio responses (text transcriptions);

  • My own audio input does not appear at all;

  • I cannot switch models in this thread—it shows “audio not supported.”

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open an existing chat with several rounds of text messages;

  2. Start Audio Chat;

  3. End the Audio Chat and return to text chat;

  4. Check the chat history.

Result:

  • All previous chat history is gone, only the first message remains.

  • Model switch option is disabled.

Expected:

  • Audio Chat should work as an additional feature, not erase or override prior conversation history.

  • Previous text chat should always remain intact, even if Audio Chat is started mid-thread.

Impact

  • Two chat threads have already been affected, including one containing important work materials.

  • Other older chats with Audio Chat (created before GPT-5 release) remain intact.

  • This issue is reproducible on both iOS App and Web (Chrome, Safari).

  • Reinstalling the app or refreshing the browser does not restore history.

Filed Tickets

  • Case Number: 500VU00000WieCIYAZ

  • Case Number: 500VU00000WmSfbYAF

I have replied multiple times in those tickets, but it seems my responses were not received by the support team.

Request for Help

  1. Please confirm if this is a known GPT-5 Audio Chat bug.

  2. Is there any way to recover the lost chat history (especially for the thread with important work)?

  3. If confirmed as a bug, is there a planned fix timeline or a recommended workaround (e.g. prevent Audio Chat from being launched inside existing text chat threads)?

✦ Note: Another smaller issue is that some chats cannot be renamed or moved into projects, but that is minor compared to the history loss. The urgent concern is restoring the missing chat history.