OpenAI tts-1 model retirement

Stops workingJanuary 6, 2027in 61 daysSubscribe to OpenAIShare

On January 6, 2027, model tts-1 will be shut down. Any calls requesting model tts-1 will fail after this date. OpenAI recommends transitioning affected workloads to a supported replacement.

The error you get from January 6, 2027

What OpenAI answers a call to tts-1 once the model is gone, as recorded from real responses:

HTTP 404

{"error":{"message":"The model `tts-1` has been deprecated, learn more here: https://platform.openai.com/docs/deprecations","type":"invalid_request_error","param":null,"code":"model_not_found"}}

What to use instead of tts-1

Move to gpt-realtime-2.1-mini, which is recommended by OpenAI. This transition requires more than updating an identifier because gpt-realtime-2.1-mini is not served on /v1/audio/speech, running only on the Realtime API (/v1/realtime, over WebRTC or WebSocket) with audio returned as base64 chunks in response.output_audio.delta events rather than as an mp3 or wav response body.

gpt-realtime-2.1-mini is not served on /v1/audio/speech: it runs only on the Realtime API (/v1/realtime, over WebRTC or WebSocket). Audio comes back as base64 chunks in response.output_audio.delta events (for example audio/pcm at 24 kHz), not as an mp3 or wav response body.

In OpenAI's words

Shutdown date: Jan 6, 2027; Model / system: tts-1; Recommended replacement: gpt-realtime-2.1-mini

OpenAI, Deprecations page

Facts

API: OpenAI api.openai.com
Model: tts-1
Released: November 6, 2023 (models.dev)
Kind: Model retirement
Takes effect: January 6, 2027
Calls after that day: Fail
Source: Deprecations page
Last updated: November 4, 2026
Verified: November 6, 2026, against OpenAI's own pages

Questions

When does tts-1 shut down?

Calls to the model tts-1 on OpenAI stop working on January 6, 2027.

What happens to calls after January 6, 2027?

They fail from that day.

What error does tts-1 return once it is shut down?

OpenAI answers HTTP 404: "The model `tts-1` has been deprecated, learn more here: https://platform.openai.com/docs/deprecations". Send another model to fix it.

When was tts-1 released?

tts-1 was released on November 6, 2023, according to models.dev.

How do I find the calls this hits in my code?

Okapi reads your repository, finds the calls this change hits and opens a pull request with the fix. It never commits to your branches: every change comes as a pull request you review.

Is your code calling this?

Okapi finds the calls this change hits in your repo and opens the pull request with the fix before January 6, 2027.

Add to GitHub