OpenAI has decided to discontinue its Sora AI video app for iPhone after it failed to gain strong user adoption. The app launched in September as the company’s second mobile product after ChatGPT, but it struggled to maintain momentum.
Sora entered the market with strong attention and offered tools to create videos from simple text prompts. It also included a social feed where users could share generated content. The app allowed flexible video creation, which attracted early users.
However, OpenAI later introduced stricter rules around intellectual property usage. These restrictions limited how users could generate content and reduced the app’s appeal. As a result, user engagement dropped over time.
OpenAI confirmed the shutdown in a post on X, saying, “We’re saying goodbye to Sora. To everyone who created with Sora, shared it, and built community around it: thank you. What you made with Sora mattered, and we know this news is disappointing. We’ll share more soon, including timelines for the app and API and details on preserving your work.”
Shift toward broader AI strategy
The Wall Street Journal reports that OpenAI is stepping back from its video AI model efforts. The company is now focusing on building a unified platform that combines its core products.
This strategy includes integrating ChatGPT, Codex tools, and its Atlas browser into a single experience. Sora did not align well with this direction and remained a standalone product.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that a potential deal involving Disney content for Sora will no longer move forward. The app’s limited reach meant such partnerships did not fully develop.
