Android owners cry ‘you can’t be serious’ as Google removes beloved phone button in latest shake-up

GOOGLE has quietly removed a useful Android feature and it hasn't gone down well with users.

The option is relatively small but was so "helpful" that Android fans have vented online.

People thought the move might be an error that needs fixing but it turns out the change was deliberate.

It's not the first time Google has annoyed users with changes recently, after people complained about the new Google Maps colours.

There was also uproar about Fitbit's refreshed app, so much so the tech giant brought some features back.

This latest outrage has been sparked by tweaks to Android's icon notifications.

Before, people could long press on an app's icon on the home screen to show the latest notification.

A handy counter in the corner would also tell users if the app had other notifications waiting to be opened.

Tapping the notification would open it directly in the app - or you could swipe to dismiss it.

But fans have noticed in the latest version of Android, Android 14, the handy tool is gone.

"Just to add my disappointment, this feature was so helpful!" one person wrote online.

"The removal of this feature was a bad move," another commented.

"It improved notification visibility, and it was extremely intuitive."

A third person complained: "You can't be serious?! You guys DELIBERATELY removed this feature?! Are you stupid?!"

Some said the small but significant feature was so useful that they switched from iPhone to Android for it.

"This features is partly why I switched to Android," a user said.

"It is the wrong move to remove this functionality."

Google responded to users saying: "Thank you for reporting this issue.

"We have looked into the issue you have reported and would like to inform you that this is working as intended.

"It was removed in the latest update."

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