Google retired the Mobile-Friendly Test — what now?
It was removed in December 2023. Mobile did not stop mattering: Google indexes the mobile rendering of your page by default, so it is the version that ranks.
By Sapun Lamichhane · Arcetis
Google retired it in December 2023, along with the mobile usability report in Search Console. Mobile did not stop mattering - the opposite. Google indexes the mobile rendering of your page by default, which means mobile is no longer a variant being tested for compatibility. It is the version that ranks.
So the test disappeared and the stakes went up, which is an awkward combination if you were relying on it.
What did the test actually check?
Five things, all of which are measurable from the page itself:
- A viewport meta tag setting width to the device. Without one, a phone renders at a 980px virtual width and scales down - the page arrives zoomed out however good your CSS is. This single tag is the difference between responsive and not.
- Tap targets large enough to hit. WCAG 2.5.8 sets 24×24 CSS pixels as the AA minimum; Apple and Google both recommend closer to 44-48px for primary actions.
- Text legible without zooming. Fixed pixel font sizes below about 12px fail here, and they also override the user's own font-size preference.
- Content that does not force horizontal scrolling. Usually one fixed-width element - a table, an image, a pre block - that nothing else accounts for.
- Responsive breakpoints. A stylesheet with no media queries is a desktop layout being shown to a phone.
What replaced it?
Nothing official, which is the gap. Lighthouse still reports viewport and tap target issues as part of a broader audit, and Search Console still reports Core Web Vitals by device - but the single-purpose 'is this page mobile-friendly' check no longer exists.
Checking the properties directly is arguably better anyway: the retired test returned a binary verdict, and the underlying measurements tell you what to change.
How do I check mine?
The mobile-friendly test on this site checks all five properties above against your page and reports each individually, with the specific elements involved.