For years, the answer to “is my website mobile friendly?” was simple: paste your URL into Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, wait a few seconds, get a green tick or a list of problems. Millions of site owners used it. Then, in December 2023, Google switched it off.
Not just the tool. Google retired three things at once:
- The Mobile-Friendly Test at search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
- The Mobile-Friendly Test API that many SEO platforms used under the hood
- The Mobile Usability report inside Google Search Console
If you bookmarked the old test, it is gone. This post documents the retirement and explains what Google’s current tools can and cannot tell you. A third-party checker is discussed separately so it is not confused with an official replacement.
Why Google retired the Mobile-Friendly Test
Google explained the retirement in its December 2023 announcement, noting that other resources had emerged for evaluating mobile usability and that the remaining Mobile Usability report, test, and API would be retired.
The current tools are narrower. Lighthouse supplies lab diagnostics; PageSpeed Insights can combine those diagnostics with available field data; Search Console provides property-level reports and URL inspection to verified owners.
Here is the catch: none of the official replacements actually replicate what the old tool did.
What Google offers instead (and what each one lacks)
| Option | What it gives you | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse (Chrome DevTools) | Deep technical audit: performance, accessibility, SEO, best practices | Developer-oriented. You need DevTools open and some patience to interpret the report |
| PageSpeed Insights | Speed scores and Core Web Vitals from lab and field data | No simple “mobile friendly: yes/no” verdict anymore |
| Search Console (Core Web Vitals report) | Real-visitor experience data for your pages | Only works for sites you own and verified. No per-URL usability verdict |
Notice what is missing from every row: the original workflow. Paste any URL, including a competitor’s, and get an instant plain-English verdict without signing in or opening developer tools.
Where a third-party checker fits
If you want a quick heuristic review resembling the old yes/no workflow, our Mobile-Friendly Checker is a third-party diagnostic. It is not affiliated with Google, does not reproduce Google’s retired API, and should be followed by browser testing and the official tools above.
Use its issue list as triage, not as a Google ranking verdict or accessibility conformance report.
What to actually fix (the checks that matter)
Whichever tool you use, mobile-friendliness in 2026 comes down to a short list:
- Viewport configuration. A standard responsive viewport declaration helps mobile browsers lay the page out at the device width.
- Readable text and reflow. Test real content at narrow widths and with browser zoom rather than enforcing one universal font size.
- Tap targets. Controls need enough size and spacing for reliable touch interaction; test against the accessibility standard and platform guidance your project follows.
- No horizontal scroll. Fixed-width images, tables, and divs wider than the screen break the layout. Use max-width: 100% and let tables scroll inside their own container.
- Fast enough to feel instant. Mobile users are on slower processors and networks. Compress images, defer non-critical JavaScript, and lazy-load below-the-fold media. This is where mobile-friendliness meets Core Web Vitals.
For the design side of this, our guide to responsive, mobile-first web design covers how to build pages that pass these checks by default.
Does mobile-friendliness still affect rankings?
Google uses the mobile version of a site’s content for indexing and ranking. That means the mobile page must preserve primary content, links, structured data, metadata, and crawlability. It does not turn the old Mobile-Friendly Test verdict into a current ranking score.
In other words: Google retired the test, while mobile-first indexing and usable mobile delivery remain operational requirements.
If your site fails the check and you would rather have someone fix it than read documentation, that is literally what we do: website redesign and speed optimization, mobile-first by default.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google's Mobile-Friendly Test still available?
No. Google retired the Mobile-Friendly Test tool, its API, and the Search Console Mobile Usability report in December 2023. The old URL no longer offers the test. Google now points site owners to Lighthouse and other tools instead.
What replaced the Google Mobile-Friendly Test?
There is no one-for-one official replacement. Lighthouse audits selected mobile-related implementation issues, PageSpeed Insights combines Lighthouse lab diagnostics with available Chrome UX Report field data, and Search Console reports Core Web Vitals for verified properties. These tools answer different questions from the retired binary test.
Is mobile-friendliness still a Google ranking factor?
Google uses the mobile version of a site's content for indexing and ranking under mobile-first indexing. That does not make the retired tool's binary verdict a current standalone ranking score. Mobile pages should preserve primary content, structured data, metadata, crawlability, and a usable experience.
How do I test if my website is mobile friendly now?
Test the real page at narrow widths with touch, keyboard, zoom, and reflow; run Lighthouse for lab diagnostics; use PageSpeed Insights or Search Console for available field data; and inspect the mobile-rendered page with Search Console when you own the property. A third-party checker can triage issues but cannot reproduce Google's retired test.
Does the Search Console Mobile Usability report still exist?
No. Google removed the Mobile Usability report from Search Console in December 2023, at the same time as the Mobile-Friendly Test tool. Search Console still reports Core Web Vitals for mobile, but it no longer gives a dedicated mobile usability verdict per page.
