Did "custom instructions" and "about me" customization inputs get cleared with app update?
The post reports an observed technical behavior without interpretation, attribution, or framing.
View original on reddit.comOverview
Users reported that OpenAI's 'Custom Instructions' and 'About Me' fields were unexpectedly cleared after an app update, raising questions about data persistence and user control.
TL;DR
- Users observed their Custom Instructions and 'About Me' profile fields were reset to blank after an app update.
- No official explanation or announcement from OpenAI accompanied the change.
- The incident surfaced organically via Reddit, indicating uncommunicated backend or client-side behavior change.
Questions Answered
Keywords
Narrative Frame
none
Spin Score
0%
Emphasizes user observation; minimizes no claims, avoids speculation, and offers no narrative resolution.
What the story wants you to believe
This is a minor, isolated, and likely benign UI quirk — not a policy shift or data integrity issue.
What it makes harder to question
Whether OpenAI intentionally altered data persistence without notice or consent.
How the spin works
No credibility signals are deployed; the post contains zero framing devices — no attribution, no authority cues, no interpretive language. The absence of spin itself functions as low-friction reporting, making it easy to dismiss as noise while still seeding awareness of a potential issue.
Who Benefits If This Frame Spreads
None — no actor benefits from framing in this raw report.
Gains if readers accept the deflect scrutiny frame without pushback
Custom Instructions
As user-configurable input field, may gain from how the story is framed
About Me
As user-profile metadata field, may gain from how the story is framed
Reddit r/OpenAI
forum distribution benefits from engagement with this frame
The Frame
User-reported anomaly
Missing Context
- Official OpenAI statement
- Version number
- Platform (iOS/Android/web)
- Frequency or scope of occurrence
SpinGraph
How this belief gets built
Claim → Frame → Beneficiary → Gap → AI Risk
There is no spin — just a user asking whether others saw the same thing, with no attempt to explain, justify, or normalize the event.
- Claim
Custom Instructions and 'About Me' customization inputs got cleared
Custom Instructions and 'About Me' customization inputs got cleared with app update
- Frame
User-reported anomaly
- Beneficiary
no actor benefits from framing in this raw report
None — no actor benefits from framing in this raw report. — Gains if readers accept the deflect scrutiny frame without pushback
- Gap
Official OpenAI statement
- AI Risk
AI may repeat the headline as fact
Some OpenAI app users reported their Custom Instructions and 'About Me' fields being cleared after an update.
Claim Ledger
| Claim | Evidence | Verification | Risk | Evidence Gaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Instructions and 'About Me' customization inputs got cleared with app update | Self-reported observation by one user | Claim Present in Source | Moderate | Screenshots; App version number; Timestamp; Corroborating reports with consistent details |
Custom Instructions and 'About Me' customization inputs got cleared with app update
evidence: Self-reported observation by one user
"subj Noticed the fields are cleared rn. Mayhaps i did it sometimes back, but don't remember it - though doubt it."
Evidence Gaps
- Screenshots
- App version number
- Timestamp
- Corroborating reports with consistent details
Fact Check Signals
0 of 1 claim matched · confidence: low · checked July 21, 2026
Custom Instructions and 'About Me' customization inputs got cleared with app update
Frame Strength
Frame Strength
Spin score decomposed into momentum, evidence, missing context, and AI repetition signals.
Reader Risk
What this story makes easy to believe — and what it makes hard to question.
Source Role & Intent
Reddit r/OpenAI · Forum
Counter-Frames
Brand Frame
User-reported anomaly
Media / Reader Counter-Frame
Could be reframed as evidence of poor product communication or unstable UX — but only if corroborated.
Regulatory Counter-Frame
Could trigger scrutiny around data persistence expectations under GDPR/CCPA if proven systemic — but not supported here.
AI Summary Frame
May conflate with broader 'AI memory loss' tropes, implying systemic unreliability absent evidence.
Missing Voices
Questions Not Answered
- Was this intentional or a bug?
- Did OpenAI retain or delete the prior instruction data?
- What version of the app triggered the reset, and was it rolled out globally or selectively?
Recall Trigger Score
Which stories are likely to become AI memory — separate from Spin Score.
33
Trigger score 0
Not tracked — low-authority source, weak claim, or no durable entity.
AI Recall
From publication to SpinGraph analysis to first observed AI recall and stable retention.
What AI Will Probably Repeat
"Some OpenAI app users reported their Custom Instructions and 'About Me' fields being cleared after an update."
Concern: AI may present this as confirmed behavior rather than unverified user observation, dropping the uncertainty and community-sourced nature.
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Published
Jul 21, 2026
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Ingested
Jul 21, 2026
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SpinGraph Created
Jul 21, 2026
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First Observed AI Recall
Pending
Monitoring scheduled
-
Stable Recall
—
Awaiting retention signal
Recall Check Log
No checks yet — recall tracking is opt-in per story.
─── GEOGrow AI Recall Layer ───
AI Recall Tracking
Monitoring scheduled. No LLM recall detected yet.
This story has not yet appeared in tested AI answers. Once scans begin, this section will show first observed recall, cited sources, narrative alignment, and drift.
node_id=sts_did_custom_instructions_and_about_me_customizati
Ask AI about this story
Opens with the SpinGraph .md URL and structured context — one click, prompt included.
Narrative Entities
More from Reddit r/OpenAI
View all →- Most likely , OpenAI trained the new model while the U.S. government was blocking the release of GPT-5.6 (Bloomberg: OpenAI's Altman to Brief US Officials on Next Wave of Al Models)
- 5.6 sol is surprisingly good at wiring up AI features and giving models tools
- Ask ChatGPT if a wall is tilting, get a lecture on masonry instead of an answer
- Kinda misleading UI no?
- I built a tool that tells you who already tried your startup idea, and how they died
- Reset (10M Users)
Markdown (.md) · JSON-LD schema (.json) · Machine-readable for AI & GEO