Google's Mobile-Friendly Test Is Gone: How to Check Mobile Pages Now

Google retired its public Mobile-Friendly Test in December 2023. Google also retired the Search Console Mobile Usability report that month. If you bookmarked the old test URL hoping for a quick green checkmark, it is gone. PageSpeed Insights, the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console, and a few minutes on a real phone now do the job.

This guide is the order we use on a single important URL: HTML signals first, then performance metrics. The matching tool is the Mobile Friendly Test on Scrawl: it reads the HTML response and inline CSS only. It is not a Google verdict.

What Google actually turned off

In October 2023, Google said the Mobile-Friendly Test and its API would be retired in December 2023. The test was a public page that rendered your URL and reported simple pass/fail style issues such as viewport problems or content wider than the screen.

What did not go away:

• Mobile-first indexing. For most sites, Google crawls and indexes the mobile version of pages.
• PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse. Lab audits plus CrUX field data when Google has enough Chrome history for the URL.
• Core Web Vitals in Search Console. Field LCP, INP, and CLS buckets for URLs with data (this replaced the old mobile usability report for performance troubleshooting).

What you lose is the one-click public badge and the dedicated mobile usability issue list. Third-party HTML checkers can fill part of the HTML gap, but none of them speak for Google.

Step 1: Viewport, zoom, and document basics (HTML)

Start with what is in the first HTML response, because that is what many crawlers see before JavaScript runs.

Open the Mobile Friendly Test and paste the full URL (include https://). The tool fetches the page and reports:

• Viewport meta: Is width=device-width present? Fixed pixel widths in the viewport content are a common failure mode on old templates.
• Zoom lock: user-scalable=no or maximum-scale below 2 blocks pinch-zoom. That is bad for accessibility and was a classic Mobile-Friendly Test failure.
• `html lang`: Helps accessibility and language detection; missing lang is a warn, not always a blocker.
• Charset: UTF-8 in <meta charset="utf-8"> avoids mojibake on mobile browsers.
• Fixed layout in inline CSS: Width or min-width over 500px inside style="" attributes or <style> blocks often means horizontal scrolling on a phone. The checker does not download external CSS files, so a responsive theme linked from /assets/app.css will not be scored here.
• Tiny fonts in inline CSS: font-size under 12px in the same inline/style scope is flagged. Body text should usually be 16px or scale with rem.
• `srcset` on images: Not strictly viewport, but large single src images hurt mobile load time. The tool counts <img> tags with and without srcset.

Read the pass, warn, and fail list as a developer checklist. Fixes are plain language: add viewport, remove zoom lock, widen fonts, add srcset on hero photos.

Limits to say out loud: No JavaScript execution. No external stylesheet scan. Not Google's label.

Step 2: Performance and real-device feel

HTML can be "valid" while still feeling slow. Next run the PageSpeed Checker or Core Web Vitals on the same URL.

You care about:

• LCP: Is the main content paint late on mobile?
• INP / responsiveness: Do taps lag?
• CLS: Does the layout jump while loading?

Pair with the Image Size Checker and Lazy Load Checker when the HTML check shows heavy images or missing loading="lazy" on below-the-fold media.

Step 3: PageSpeed Insights and Core Web Vitals in Search Console

Open PageSpeed Insights for the URL and read the mobile Lighthouse audit. Note LCP, CLS, and INP (or TBT in lab when INP is unavailable).

In Google Search Console, open Experience > Core Web Vitals (not Mobile Usability, which was retired). Filter to mobile if the property splits traffic. URLs in "Poor" or "Needs improvement" are where you fix templates or assets, then re-test in PSI after deploy.

Field data lags lab data. A green Lighthouse run does not guarantee CrUX will flip immediately.

Step 4: Five minutes on a phone

Resize mode in desktop Chrome misses touch targets and real font rendering.

On a phone (or emulator):

1. Load the URL on cellular, not only Wi‑Fi.
2. Try pinch-zoom. If it does not work, revisit viewport meta.
3. Tap primary CTAs. Mis-sized buttons are not in the HTML checker.
4. Scroll the full page. Sticky headers that cover content are a UX issue, not an HTML meta issue.

A short worked example

Suppose the Mobile Friendly Test reports:

• Fail: viewport missing.
• Fail: user-scalable=no.
• Warn: no srcset on five product images.

Fix order:

1. Ship viewport and remove zoom lock in the theme <head> (one deploy, whole site).
2. Add srcset/sizes on product template images (template edit, not per SKU).
3. Re-run the HTML tool, then PageSpeed on a sample product URL.

What not to chase

• A replacement green badge. Google is not offering one.
• Perfect score on HTML alone while LCP is red in PSI.
• Blocking zoom for "app-like" feel (accessibility complaints and store policies both push back).

FAQ

Did Google remove the Mobile-Friendly Test?

Yes. Public test and API retired December 2023. The Search Console Mobile Usability report was retired the same month.

What replaced it?

PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, Core Web Vitals in Search Console, plus HTML checks on the live response. No single third-party tool is official.

What viewport should I use?

width=device-width, initial-scale=1 without disabling zoom.

Does mobile still matter for SEO?

Google mostly indexes mobile content; usability and speed affect users and crawl efficiency.

Can I test without JavaScript?

Partially. Raw HTML checks catch many template bugs; SPAs need PSI or manual device testing.

Run the HTML check

Paste your URL into the Mobile Friendly Test. Fix fails first, then warnings, then confirm mobile performance with PageSpeed Insights and Core Web Vitals.