Hi everyone,
I’m reporting what appears to be a system-wide regression in the ChatGPT Projects feature—specifically involving file search and cross-chat functionality, which has rendered a large, structured creative project of mine unusable.
I’m a GPT Plus subscriber ($20/month) using the official iOS ChatGPT app on both iPhone and iPad (App Version: 1.2025.119). I started building a multi-threaded tournament simulation project in mid-April that relied heavily on the Projects system: structured chats for simulations, a matchday archive, media features, an operational database, etc.
Everything was working beautifully for about three weeks.
Then, around May 7, something broke:
What’s No Longer Working:
1. file_search has stopped functioning across chats.
• Files uploaded into one chat are no longer searchable from others in the same project—even when properly referenced and formatted.
• This includes new files uploaded into clean threads.
2. Cross-chat context awareness is also failing.
• Chat A does not “see” Chat B, even in the same project.
• Phrases like “refer to the Operational Database chat” no longer produce any results or recognition.
3. Creating a brand-new Project and reuploading files did not solve the issue.
• Even clean uploads of .docx files into a fresh Project fail to register via file_search in new chats.
• The issue is reproducible across multiple devices and threads.
Why This Matters:
I subscribed to GPT Plus specifically for Projects—to enable modular, memory-based work across multiple linked chats. This was something I had used successfully for weeks and was the core reason I began paying.
Without file search or cross-chat visibility, the Projects feature no longer functions as advertised. I’ve tried every reasonable workaround:
• Reuploads
• New chats
• New Projects
• App reinstalls
• Memory resets
None have restored core functionality.
What I’m Asking:
• Can OpenAI staff or other users confirm if this is a known bug or regression?
• Is there a roadmap for restoring proper Project functionality—especially cross-chat file_search and chat awareness?
• Are there any safe workarounds for restoring structured, multi-chat continuity?
This issue has not just disrupted convenience—it has completely halted a 100+ hour creative project I was building for myself and my Discord community. I’ve also filed feedback and a support escalation through the in-app system, but so far, no resolution.
If others are experiencing the same thing, please add your voice here.
Thanks for reading.
— A GPT Plus user trying to rebuild a project that used to work flawlessly