Unable to use o1 after running a web search earlier in the same chat thread

ChatGPT Bugs
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Issue: As of the last week or so, I am no longer able to select and use the o1 model after running a web search at any point earlier in the same chat thread.

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For context:

  • I am not trying to actually run a web search with o1, as o1 doesn’t support web search functionality.
  • Instead, I am trying to continue a conversation with o1 after retrieving some recent information from the web (using either 4o or o3-mini).
  • The issue persists even after clearing all chatgpt cookies and stored page information, signing out then signing back into my account, and doing a “hard page refresh” which clears cache and re-retrieves all of the webpage’s assets and files.

This was possible up until recently. For example, I occasionally use this workflow to do an initial dive into a new API or software development tool I’m unfamiliar with. Being able to use web search to retrieve up-to-date docs then have o1 reason through some of the finer details is very powerful.

NOTE that I am still able to successfully select and use o1 after a web search if I manually change the model query parameter in the page URL to model=o1. (See screenshot in the reply below).

This issue is also present in the IOS app version 1.2025.021 (12961324711):

It’s possible that this is intended behavior since both the web and mobile app frontends enforce the same restriction, but I don’t think that’s the case. To me, blocking such a useful feature (which still works, in the web version, with the workaround) is definitely a bug.

  • If anyone has a better workaround than manually changing the model query param, please let me know.
  • Otherwise, a fix would be much appreciated!
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Proof that o1 still works after search if you manually change the model query parameter:

Screenshot 2025-02-01 003016
Screenshot 2025-02-01 0030161734×1577 272 KB

(Had to put this in a reply because new forum users can only embed one image in the main post).

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I experienced this too. I couldn’t fix it directly. I did create a work around though

  • Share the chat to generate a share link
  • Open the link on a desk top computer, ensuring you are logged into ChatGPT with the same account (this will load the copied conversation into your account)
  • Select model o1
  • Ask a short question that doesn’t require a web search
  • You can now go back to the app and see the new conversation without the search condition. for clarity, rename the old one to something else e.g. “my convo ORIGINAL”

Please let me know if this helped