5 Android Features That Completely Disappeared, And Why

Electronic devices usually receive more features as they become more advanced. That’s sort of the point, or at least that’s what most people have come to expect. If a company releases a car model, video game console, or even a program, it usually includes a few new add-ons. But sometimes that isn’t the case, and not just because exponentially adding stuff results in feature bloat.

Every so often, companies remove features from their products, usually by introducing a new version or software patch. The reasons behind these removals are as varied as the features themselves. Sometimes they prove so annoying users just want them gone, other times another company creates a program that performs the same task but better. 

Android’s previous version, Android 15, introduced quite a few new features, including anti-theft measures and smart volume controls, and prior updates have added their own libraries of features. However, they’ve also gotten rid of quite a few, all to gain an edge over the Android’s eternal rival, Apple’s iPhone.

Here are several features Android phones don’t have anymore, and why.

Phone apps are a lot like Lay’s potato chips; you can’t have just one. It’s easy to install more apps than you will ever need, which not only eats up storage space but can also result in way too much information and notifications to keep track of. Android once had a solution to organize this potential mess until it came up with an even better solution.

One of the Android OS’ earliest features was the live folders. Introduced way back in Android 1.5 (aka Cupcake), live folders were supposed to show users virtually any data on the phone’s home screen without launching an application. These folders could help users keep track of their contacts and emails, and if any changes occurred in the background (e.g., a mailbox received a new email), its respective folder was updated in real time.

If Android’s live folders sound similar to widgets, that’s because developers had the same idea. Programmers patched out live folders in Android 4 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich) and replaced the feature with widgets. Function-wise, widgets perform the exact same tasks as live folders but are more flexible and visually appealing, so the feature isn’t 100% gone – it’s just been reborn as a similar-yet-different program.

Near field communication (NFC) is a small miracle of science that lets you beam information from one device to another just by tapping them together. This feature powers Nintendo’s Amiibo, ATMs, and any system that lets you pay with your phone. And once upon a time, Android phones could use NFC technology to do more than just pay for subway fare in New York City.

One of the premier features for Android 4.0 was an NFC-centric system dubbed Android Beam. This program was an extension of the NFC-based mobile payments that were already part of Android phones and let two users share a wide variety of data packets just by tapping the devices together. Initially, these included maps, contact information, and links to apps. With Android 4.1 (aka Jelly Bean), this list extended to include photos and videos. However, Google quickly forgot about the system. And then Google deleted it.

Google officially depreciated Android Beam in Android 10 (aka Quince Tart), at least from official Android and NFC APIs. The program remained available to third-party device manufacturers, but only in its final form — Google swore off all further development, including patches. NFC functionality is still a vital part of the Android phone (and Apple iPhone) ecosystem; it’s just that other companies were able to create similar programs that were more robust and easier to use. Unlike a few other entries on this list, Google didn’t throw the NFC baby out with the bathwater.

Wireless communication has revolutionized countless industries and devices. You can even stream videos from phones to televisions with the right technology. Of course, with the sheer number of smartphones and major TV brands out there, someone has to make sure they communicate with each other properly.

Miracast is one of the main wireless streaming protocols that lets you mirror devices such as computers and phones on your TV and vice versa. Google didn’t create the system — the Wi-Fi Alliance can claim that honor — but the company added built-in Miracast support to Android 4.2. Miracast is still used in a large library of devices, but Android phones aren’t among them anymore.

Google removed in-house Miracast functionality with Android 6 (aka Marshmallow) in favor of its own proprietary wireless streaming protocol, Chromecast, which itself was killed last year thanks to Google TV Streamer. Technically speaking, you can still use Miracast to mirror and control your Android phone using a Windows PC, it’s just that the feature isn’t part of the Android phone environment straight out of the box. You have to jump through an extra set of hoops if you want to use Miracast with your Android phone, but it might be worth the effort since Miracast doesn’t require an active wi-fi router.

Many fads are cyclical. Certain classic car design concepts are making a comeback, and more people listen to vinyl records than CDs these days. Phone systems are also subject to this pattern, too. Some discontinued Android features are planned to return. Mostly because a rival company made them popular again.

Lock screen widgets were a feature that Google added to the Android OS via Android 4.2. As the name not-so-subtly implies, the feature gave users a glimpse of app data when waking up their phones. Android phone owners could skim their mailboxes and messages, see what time it was, and quickly bring up their phone’s camera functions.

At first glance, lock screen widgets seemed like a useful idea, but Google quickly abandoned the feature. The company patched lock screen widgets out with Android 5.0 (aka Lollipop). The running theory is Google scrapped them due to privacy concerns. However, unlike other Android features we’ve talked about in this article, Google is now trying to resurrect the lock screen widget. The company already added these notifications to the Pixel Tablet, and Android mobile phones running Android 16 (aka Baklava) will be next. It is widely believed that Google is performing this feature necromancy because Apple added lock screen widgets to iOS 16 and received much acclaim. The irony, of course, is that Apple allegedly adopted lock screen widgets thanks to Google’s stab at the feature with Android 4.2.

As we previously discussed, wireless communication technology revolutionized countless industries. However, when one form of technology advances, another often becomes redundant. It doesn’t necessarily disappear entirely, but manufacturers often prioritize the more popular technology.

If you’ve ever used a television remote, you’ve used an “IR blaster,” a gadget that communicates with large devices by literally blasting them with infrared beams containing coded messages such as “turn the volume up” and “switch to output 2.” Google added native IR blaster support to Android 4.4 (aka KitKat), but it could only send IR signals, not receive any. Plus, it probably goes without saying, but only phones with built-in IR lasers such as the LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S6 could take advantage of the feature.

Eventually, Android IR blaster support quietly faded away into obscurity alongside IR blasters in smartphones. IR blasters in phones are widely viewed as redundant due to the overwhelming number of devices that support Bluetooth and wireless communication. Plus, companies save on manufacturing costs by cutting IR blaster laser tech out of phone blueprints. Currently, Xiaomi might be the only company keeping IR blasters in phones alive, and who knows how long the company will do that. Why would Google bother supporting a feature that isn’t profitable?