# Sora Consumer Surfaces Die; API Limps to September 24

Times of AI Desk · 2026-04-26 · Products

[https://timesof.ai/2026/04/openai-discontinues-sora-web-app-experiences](https://timesof.ai/2026/04/openai-discontinues-sora-web-app-experiences)

> OpenAI killed Sora web and app experiences on April 26; the API runs until September 24, then data deletion after export via sora.chatgpt.com/sunset. The trade is compute and focus leaving consumer video for coding, enterprise, and physical-AI/simulation bets — creators get a finite export window, not a replacement product.

Frontier labs can sunset a flagship consumer surface in a fiscal quarter. Sora’s story is not “video failed forever” — it is **OpenAI reallocating attention and compute** away from a consumer generation app while leaving API users a five-month bridge.

**OpenAI** discontinued **Sora web and mobile app** experiences on **April 26, 2026**. The **Sora API** remains until **September 24, 2026**. Users were told to export videos and images at **sora.chatgpt.com/sunset**; after the export window, Sora-associated data is permanently deleted. Refunds/credits follow ChatGPT subscription policy; credits may apply to products such as Codex.

## What happened

| Date | Event (OpenAI Help Center primary) |
|------|-------------------------------------|
| **Earlier 2026** | Broader Sora discontinuation announced; research pivot toward physical AI / simulation / robotics cited |
| **April 26, 2026** | Web + app experiences off; no new consumer generations |
| **September 24, 2026** | API discontinuation scheduled |
| **Export** | Portal export → email when ready; act before final deletion |

March wind-down coverage (Reuters, BBC, and others) linked the move to priority shifts and noted partnership discussions (e.g. Disney-related) around the announcement period — **wire context**, not OpenAI’s Help Center legalese.

## Claims vs checks

Shutdown dates and export path are **OpenAI primary**. “Shift toward coding, enterprise, robotics/world simulation” is **company-stated priority framing**. Competitive pressure and scaling challenges appear in secondary reporting; they are not independently proven causation in this desk file.

## Limits

- No public replacement consumer video product named in the Help Center note.
- Exact final deletion clock after last export email is notification-dependent.
- Disney/partnership fallout is secondhand contemporaneous reporting.

## Sources

- [OpenAI Help Center: “What to know about the Sora discontinuation”](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001152-what-to-know-about-the-sora-discontinuation) — April 26 web/app shutdown and September 24 API date.
- OpenAI/Sora team March 2026 discontinuation / robotics focus context.
- Reuters, BBC, and other wires confirming March announcement and phased timeline.