diff --git a/common/status.h b/common/status.h
index 434ff977d..b6ac779e4 100644
--- a/common/status.h
+++ b/common/status.h
@@ -32,8 +32,6 @@ enum
 
     STATUS_BADARMOR,
 
-    STATUS_RSA_OR_IDEA,
-
     STATUS_TRUST_UNDEFINED,
     STATUS_TRUST_NEVER,
     STATUS_TRUST_MARGINAL,
diff --git a/doc/DETAILS b/doc/DETAILS
index ddf7438f5..955e850e3 100644
--- a/doc/DETAILS
+++ b/doc/DETAILS
@@ -381,11 +381,9 @@ more arguments in future versions.
 	The ASCII armor is corrupted.  No arguments yet.
 
     RSA_OR_IDEA
-	The IDEA algorithms has been used in the data.  A
-	program might want to fallback to another program to handle
-	the data if GnuPG failed.  This status message used to be emitted
-        also for RSA but this has been dropped after the RSA patent expired.
-        However we can't change the name of the message.
+	Obsolete.  This status message used to be emitted for requests
+        to use the IDEA or RSA algorithms.  It has been dropped from
+        GnuPG 2.1 after the respective patents expired.
 
     SHM_INFO
     SHM_GET
diff --git a/g10/gpg.c b/g10/gpg.c
index 00ee9413c..f05fda944 100644
--- a/g10/gpg.c
+++ b/g10/gpg.c
@@ -3149,7 +3149,6 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 	      {
 		log_info(_("encrypting a message in --pgp2 mode requires "
 			   "the IDEA cipher\n"));
-		idea_cipher_warn(1);
 		unusable=1;
 	      }
 	    else if(cmd==aSym)
@@ -3208,10 +3207,6 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 
     if( def_cipher_string ) {
 	opt.def_cipher_algo = string_to_cipher_algo (def_cipher_string);
-	if(opt.def_cipher_algo==0 &&
-	   (ascii_strcasecmp(def_cipher_string,"idea")==0
-	    || ascii_strcasecmp(def_cipher_string,"s1")==0))
-	  idea_cipher_warn(1);
 	xfree(def_cipher_string); def_cipher_string = NULL;
 	if ( openpgp_cipher_test_algo (opt.def_cipher_algo) )
 	    log_error(_("selected cipher algorithm is invalid\n"));
diff --git a/g10/import.c b/g10/import.c
index b48f12636..c053e21ea 100644
--- a/g10/import.c
+++ b/g10/import.c
@@ -1434,12 +1434,6 @@ transfer_secret_keys (ctrl_t ctrl, struct stats_s *stats, kbnode_t sec_keyblock)
           log_error (_("key %s: error sending to agent: %s\n"),
                      keystr_from_pk_with_sub (main_pk, pk),
                      gpg_strerror (err));
-          if (ski->algo == GCRY_CIPHER_IDEA
-              && gpg_err_code (err) == GPG_ERR_CIPHER_ALGO)
-            {
-              write_status (STATUS_RSA_OR_IDEA);
-              idea_cipher_warn (0);
-            }
           if (gpg_err_code (err) == GPG_ERR_CANCELED
               || gpg_err_code (err) == GPG_ERR_FULLY_CANCELED)
             break; /* Don't try the other subkeys.  */
diff --git a/g10/keygen.c b/g10/keygen.c
index 55048b163..2dae3fe2d 100644
--- a/g10/keygen.c
+++ b/g10/keygen.c
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ keygen_set_std_prefs (const char *string,int personal)
 	       break PGP2, but that is difficult with the current
 	       code, and not really worth checking as a non-RSA <=2048
 	       bit key wouldn't be usable by PGP2 anyway. -dms */
-	    if ( !openpgp_cipher_test_algo (CIPHER_ALGO_IDEA) )
+	    if (PGP2 && !openpgp_cipher_test_algo (CIPHER_ALGO_IDEA) )
 	      strcat(dummy_string,"S1 ");
 
 
@@ -442,12 +442,6 @@ keygen_set_std_prefs (const char *string,int personal)
 	    else
 	      {
 		log_info (_("invalid item `%s' in preference string\n"),tok);
-
-		/* Complain if IDEA is not available. */
-		if(ascii_strcasecmp(tok,"s1")==0
-		   || ascii_strcasecmp(tok,"idea")==0)
-		  idea_cipher_warn(1);
-
 		rc=-1;
 	      }
 	  }
diff --git a/g10/main.h b/g10/main.h
index 7088abec9..d25265aa7 100644
--- a/g10/main.h
+++ b/g10/main.h
@@ -105,12 +105,6 @@ int openpgp_md_test_algo( int algo );
 const char *openpgp_pk_algo_name (int algo);
 const char *openpgp_md_algo_name (int algo);
 
-#ifdef USE_IDEA
-void idea_cipher_warn( int show );
-#else
-#define idea_cipher_warn(a)  do { } while (0)
-#endif
-
 struct expando_args
 {
   PKT_public_key *pk;
diff --git a/g10/mainproc.c b/g10/mainproc.c
index 62b530b38..33855e1e7 100644
--- a/g10/mainproc.c
+++ b/g10/mainproc.c
@@ -250,12 +250,6 @@ symkey_decrypt_seskey( DEK *dek, byte *seskey, size_t slen )
   if(dek->keylen > DIM(dek->key))
     BUG ();
 
-  /* This is not completely accurate, since a bad passphrase may have
-     resulted in a garbage algorithm byte, but it's close enough since
-     a bogus byte here will fail later. */
-  if(dek->algo==CIPHER_ALGO_IDEA)
-    idea_cipher_warn(0);
-
   memcpy(dek->key, seskey + 1, dek->keylen);
 
   /*log_hexdump( "thekey", dek->key, dek->keylen );*/
@@ -541,7 +535,6 @@ proc_encrypted( CTX c, PACKET *pkt )
 		algo = opt.def_cipher_algo;
 		if (!algo)
 		  algo = opt.s2k_cipher_algo;
-		idea_cipher_warn(1);
 		log_info (_("IDEA cipher unavailable, "
 			    "optimistically attempting to use %s instead\n"),
 			  openpgp_cipher_algo_name (algo));
diff --git a/g10/misc.c b/g10/misc.c
index c49945a6f..3bf550c0b 100644
--- a/g10/misc.c
+++ b/g10/misc.c
@@ -546,24 +546,6 @@ openpgp_md_algo_name (int algo)
 }
 
 
-#ifdef USE_IDEA
-/* Special warning for the IDEA cipher */
-void
-idea_cipher_warn(int show)
-{
-  static int warned=0;
-
-  if(!warned || show)
-    {
-      log_info(_("the IDEA cipher plugin is not present\n"));
-      log_info(_("please see %s for more information\n"),
-               "http://www.gnupg.org/faq/why-not-idea.html");
-      warned=1;
-    }
-}
-#endif
-
-
 static unsigned long
 get_signature_count (PKT_public_key *pk)
 {
diff --git a/g10/pubkey-enc.c b/g10/pubkey-enc.c
index a0fe685f4..254e81091 100644
--- a/g10/pubkey-enc.c
+++ b/g10/pubkey-enc.c
@@ -292,8 +292,6 @@ get_it (PKT_pubkey_enc *enc, DEK *dek, PKT_public_key *sk, u32 *keyid)
 
   dek->keylen = nframe - (n + 1) - 2;
   dek->algo = frame[n++];
-  if (dek->algo == CIPHER_ALGO_IDEA)
-    write_status (STATUS_RSA_OR_IDEA);
   err = openpgp_cipher_test_algo (dek->algo);
   if (err)
     {
@@ -302,8 +300,6 @@ get_it (PKT_pubkey_enc *enc, DEK *dek, PKT_public_key *sk, u32 *keyid)
           log_info (_("cipher algorithm %d%s is unknown or disabled\n"),
                     dek->algo,
                     dek->algo == CIPHER_ALGO_IDEA ? " (IDEA)" : "");
-          if (dek->algo == CIPHER_ALGO_IDEA)
-            idea_cipher_warn (0);
         }
       dek->algo = 0;
       goto leave;
diff --git a/g10/seckey-cert.c b/g10/seckey-cert.c
index ec866b309..1dde6f91c 100644
--- a/g10/seckey-cert.c
+++ b/g10/seckey-cert.c
@@ -62,11 +62,6 @@ xxxx_do_check( PKT_secret_key *sk, const char *tryagain_text, int mode,
 	if( openpgp_cipher_test_algo( sk->protect.algo ) ) {
 	    log_info(_("protection algorithm %d%s is not supported\n"),
 			sk->protect.algo,sk->protect.algo==1?" (IDEA)":"" );
-	    if (sk->protect.algo==CIPHER_ALGO_IDEA)
-              {
-                write_status (STATUS_RSA_OR_IDEA);
-                idea_cipher_warn (0);
-              }
 	    return G10ERR_CIPHER_ALGO;
 	}
 	if(gcry_md_test_algo (sk->protect.s2k.hash_algo))