Tool updates register · November 2026

What changed in your AI tools, and what to do about it.

Every month we read the release notes so you do not have to. We only list changes with a date, a cost or something you need to do, and link every one to its source.

This month’s issues

CopilotNo. 1

One Home, skills for everyone, and Cowork grows up

11 updates · 4 to do

GeminiNo. 1

Gems are on the way out, and skills are taking over

5 updates · 4 to do

ClaudeNo. 1

Cheaper models, Cowork in every chat, and credits to claim

7 updates · 2 to do

ChatGPTNo. 1

Custom GPTs retire, and the usage rules change

7 updates · 5 to do

Other toolsNo. 1

AI reaches the accounts, the agents and the phones

24 updates · 9 to do

ChatGPT · August to October 2026 recap · published 5 November 2026Read the full November 2026 issue →

If you only have 2 minutes

  1. 1Custom GPTs stop working on 11 December. Anyone who built one needs to migrate it to a plugin and test it now.
  2. 2ChatGPT for Word has been on by default since 1 October, and it uses your paid allowance.
  3. 3From December, ChatGPT and Codex share one usage allowance, so heavy users will hit limits sooner.
  4. 4Business workspaces now get free monthly API credits, but the owner has to claim them.

Checklist

Do now

  • List every custom GPT, who built it and who uses it; migrate, test and re-share before 11 December
  • Decide whether you want ChatGPT for Word, and turn it off if not
  • Check any defaults, agents or scheduled tasks that still name GPT-5.5
  • Have the workspace owner claim the API credits

When you have time

  • From December, watch Settings → Usage and give Premium seats only to the heaviest users
  • Decide on each new opt-in control before switching it on

Every change

7 updates, in order of what matters.

ComingBusiness and Enterprise

Custom GPTs retire and become plugins

11 December 2026

Custom GPTs are being replaced by plugins. The person who built a GPT migrates it from My GPTs. Custom actions, model choice and sharing settings do not carry across, and the new plugin starts out private.

Why it matters

Anything your team does through a custom GPT stops working on 11 December unless it has been migrated, tested and shared again.

Action needed: Migrate and re-share your GPTs before 11 December

Source
AvailableAdmins, and Microsoft 365 admins

ChatGPT for Word is on by default

On by default from 1 October 2026

People can draft, summarise and revise inside Word with the ChatGPT add-in. Use is charged at API rates against your premium allowance. Workspace admins can switch it off, and Microsoft 365 admins must also allow the add-in.

Why it matters

It is already on unless someone turned it off, and it spends the same allowance as everything else.

Action needed: Decide whether you want it on

Source
ComingBusiness users

ChatGPT and Codex share one allowance

From December 2026

Usage will be counted in tokens and shared across ChatGPT and Codex. Bigger models and complex tasks use it faster. Remaining usage and reset times show in Settings → Usage.

Why it matters

People who lean on Codex or long agent tasks could run out of allowance for everyday work.

Tell your team: Warn your heaviest users before December

Source
Rolling outBusiness workspace owners

Monthly API credits for Business workspaces

28 October 2026

Paid seats earn API credits, pooled across the workspace and capped at US$500 a month. Only someone who owns both the ChatGPT workspace and the API organisation can claim them, and they expire each billing cycle.

Why it matters

Free budget for testing connectors and small automations, lost if nobody claims it.

Action needed: Have the workspace owner claim them

Source
AvailableBusiness workspace owners

Premium seats on ChatGPT Business

24 August 2026

Premium seats cost US$100 per user per month billed annually, or US$125 monthly, for five times the usage of a Standard seat. Standard seats stay at US$20 or US$25, and you can mix the two.

Why it matters

You can upgrade only the people who hit limits, rather than moving the whole team to a bigger plan.

Nothing to do yet: Nothing to do unless people are hitting limits

Source
AvailableEveryone on paid plans

GPT-5.5 retired from ChatGPT

Retired 14 October 2026

GPT-5.5 can no longer be picked in ChatGPT, Work or Codex. The API is not affected.

Why it matters

Saved defaults, agents and scheduled tasks that named it may now behave differently.

Action needed: Check anything that named GPT-5.5

Source
AvailableBusiness admins

New admin controls, mostly off by default

August to October 2026

New options include Computer History on macOS, letting Sites use members’ connected apps, @ChatGPT in Slack and Teams, team tasks and PIN-locked chats. Most need an admin to switch them on. Locked chats do not change your retention settings.

Why it matters

Each one widens what ChatGPT can reach, so it deserves a deliberate yes or no.

Tell your team: Decide on each one before switching it on

Source

Coming up

  1. December 2026 · ChatGPT

    ChatGPT and Codex start sharing one usage allowance

  2. 11 December 2026 · ChatGPT

    Custom GPTs stop working; migrate them to plugins first

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