OpenAI has announced that all ChatGPT users, including those on the free tier, will soon be able to send unlimited text messages, removing one of the platform’s longest-standing restrictions
OpenAI has announced that all ChatGPT users, including those on the free tier, will soon be able to send unlimited text messages, removing one of the platform’s longest-standing restrictions and easing a cost familiar to many African users: the free version’s daily message cap.
The change, announced Thursday, rolls out over the coming week alongside new GPT-5.6 models. Free and Go users move to GPT-5.6 Luna, while Plus and Pro subscribers get GPT-5.6 Sol, built for faster research, planning and writing tasks. Free users also gain a “Think” button for deeper reasoning on complex questions. Limits remain on image generation, file uploads and voice.
For Gbadamosi Emmanuel, a Lagos-based forex trader and AI enthusiast, the cap has long meant switching tools mid-task.
“Whenever I hit my limit, I have to move to another model to finish up my chat, like Llama,” he said, describing it as a genuine plus for his usage. He still relies on image uploads regularly and called that cap “a big limitation”, but said removing the text cap matters more because most users lean on text anyway, and it “can save us, free users, some money.”
Oforkaja Francis, a lawyer who uses ChatGPT for research, went further, describing message limits as his single biggest friction point. He had been running three separate accounts, rotating between them whenever he hit his cap.
“I had 3 accounts and had to rotate usage… but would now focus on just one,” he said, adding that, since his work is text-heavy, the change is significant for him.
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Both users’ workarounds point to a structural issue the update doesn’t resolve. OpenAI has spent the past year building a tiered pricing ladder for price-sensitive markets: ChatGPT Go launched in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa at roughly ₦7,000 ($4.71) monthly, while Plus now costs Nigerian subscribers around ₦33,800 once the 7.5% VAT on digital services is applied. Go and Plus users already had unlimited-style access to GPT-5, image generation and file uploads, features the free tier still restricts. Unlimited text doesn’t erase that gap; it narrows the specific pain point that pushed users like Oforkaja into multi-account workarounds, while leaving the case for upgrading to Go or Plus largely intact for anyone doing image- or file-heavy work.
Connectivity, electricity and mobile data costs remain separate constraints the update doesn’t touch, meaning unlimited text chats make ChatGPT more usable without fully closing the access gap.
ChatGPT Professional, a premium paid version- Photo Credit: Forbes The changes arrive as OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, xAI and Meta compete to expand free access and retain users. OpenAI said ChatGPT has surpassed 1 billion monthly users, and that internal testing found GPT-5.6 Luna cut factual errors by 62% compared with GPT-5.5-Instant, while Sol reduced factual errors by 68%.
ChatGPT Plus and Pro users can access the updated Sol model immediately. Free and Go users get GPT-5.6 Luna this week, with unlimited text chats and the Think button following next week.
