Markdown edition

# Claude Haiku 4.5 leaves consumer model selectors on October 29

> Anthropic will remove Haiku 4.5 from Free, Pro and Max model selectors on October 29. Existing chats remain, but resumed chats will answer with Haiku 5.5.

By BIG CHANGE Editorial

Published: 2026-10-17T14:44:34.833Z
Updated: 2026-10-17T14:44:34.833Z
Canonical: https://bigchange.ai/blog/claude-haiku-45-consumer-selector-october-29

![Conceptual charcoal illustration of two blank choice cards, one outside a small wooden holder and the other standing in its groove.](https://bigchange.ai/api/media/file/claude-haiku-selector-cards-concept-v1.png)
AI-generated conceptual illustration by BIG CHANGE; no Claude interface, API shutdown or deleted chat is depicted.

Anthropic will remove Claude Haiku 4.5 from the model selector in chat, Claude Cowork and Claude Design on Free, Pro and Max plans on October 29. The company [announced the change on October 15](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/17444146-claude-haiku-4-5-is-leaving-the-model-selector), eight days after launching Haiku 5.5. Until the removal, people on those plans can still find Haiku 4.5 under “More models.”

The change affects which model a consumer can choose for the next response. It does not delete Haiku 4.5 conversations. Anthropic says that, after October 29, continuing one of those chats will produce a reply from Haiku 5.5. Someone who has kept a conversation on Haiku 4.5 should therefore expect a model change within that conversation, even though its earlier messages remain.

## The big change

- **What changed:** On October 29, Haiku 4.5 leaves the Free, Pro and Max model selectors for chat, Cowork and Design, including Claude Desktop and Mobile. Haiku 5.5 takes its place.
- **Why it matters:** A saved Haiku 4.5 chat remains accessible, but its next response uses Haiku 5.5 after the change. The model that answers a resumed conversation may differ from the one that wrote its earlier replies.
- **What to watch:** Anthropic says Haiku 4.5 remains available in Claude Code, on Team and Enterprise plans, and through the Claude Platform API. The notice does not announce retirement of the model across those products.

## What changes in an existing conversation

Anthropic's [support notice](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/17444146-claude-haiku-4-5-is-leaving-the-model-selector) distinguishes the chat history from the model selected to answer it. It says Haiku 4.5 chats stay in the account and nothing is deleted. If Haiku 4.5 is still selected when the removal takes effect, Claude switches the selection to Haiku 5.5. A user can choose another available model instead; changing the model in a chat applies from Claude's next response.

That distinction is useful for a long-running conversation. Its earlier answers remain part of the record, while future answers come from the newly selected model. Anthropic also points users to its data-export option if they want a copy of their chats. The notice does not promise that Haiku 5.5 will reproduce Haiku 4.5's wording or decisions in a resumed thread.

## The boundary is the consumer selector

The named removal covers chat, Cowork and Design on Free, Pro and Max, including the Desktop and Mobile apps. Anthropic explicitly excludes Claude Code, Team and Enterprise plans, and Claude Platform API access to Haiku 4.5. A developer calling Haiku 4.5 through the API should not read the consumer selector date as an API shutdown date. Likewise, the notice gives no replacement date for Haiku 4.5 in the excluded products.

Anthropic [released Haiku 5.5 on October 7](https://www.anthropic.com/claude-haiku-5-5). BIG CHANGE's [earlier report on its prices and API migration](https://bigchange.ai/blog/claude-haiku-55-prices-tokenizer-migration) examined the developer route. The October 15 notice supplies the separate consumer transition: which menus change, when they change, and what happens to saved chats. The company has not specified a user setting that keeps Haiku 4.5 as the replying model in those affected consumer selectors after October 29.

BIG CHANGE reviewed Anthropic's published notice and launch announcement. We did not test an account before or after the scheduled selector change.

## Sources & further reading

- [Claude Haiku 4.5 is leaving the model selector](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/17444146-claude-haiku-4-5-is-leaving-the-model-selector) (Anthropic support notice, checked October 17, 2026). Announces the October 15 notice, October 29 effective date, affected plans and surfaces, continuing-chat behavior, and exclusions.
- [Claude Haiku 5.5](https://www.anthropic.com/claude-haiku-5-5) (Anthropic, October 7, 2026). Establishes the replacement model's launch date and platform availability.

## Sources

- [Claude Haiku 4.5 is leaving the model selector](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/17444146-claude-haiku-4-5-is-leaving-the-model-selector) — Dates, affected consumer surfaces and plans, retained chats, next-response behavior and excluded products.
- [Claude Haiku 5.5](https://www.anthropic.com/claude-haiku-5-5) — Launch date and platform availability for the replacement model.