Without any announcement or prior notice, Sony quietly removed several social features from the PlayStation 4 with a system update in March 2025. Although the changes didn’t spark major backlash, they marked the quiet retirement of some of the console’s more community-driven tools.
One key change was the removal of the “All” and “Friends of Friends” options for sharing activity posts. As of five months ago, players can only share their activity feed—such as trophy updates or game progress—with their friends list or choose to keep it entirely private using the “Nobody” visibility setting.
Alongside this, Sony also disabled the ability to like, comment on, or share activities, effectively ending interaction with friends’ posts. While it hasn’t stirred major complaints on social media, it’s worth noting that these features were among the most community-focused tools ever offered on a home console.
Now, PS4 users can no longer engage with their friends’ activity feeds or make their own activity posts publicly visible. And with the PlayStation 5 lacking these features as well, it’s likely Sony has no plans to bring them back in future systems.
Gradual Wind-Down of PS4 Support
Despite these removals, the PlayStation 4 remains fully operational. New game releases continue to land on the system, and most online multiplayer servers are still up and running—an impressive feat for a console approaching 12 years on the market.
That said, signs of a slow farewell are becoming more visible. In addition to the March update, Sony has confirmed that starting January 2026, PS Plus subscribers will no longer receive monthly free games for PS4. This shift is expected to push more players toward upgrading to the PS5—or in some cases, opting out of the subscription service altogether.
With rumors swirling about the PlayStation 6, expected between 2027 and 2028, Sony appears to be gradually stepping away from its last-gen console. While the PS5 has already passed the midpoint of its expected lifecycle, PS4 support is clearly entering its final phase.
