diff --git a/configure.cmake b/configure.cmake
index 879764aca7..673eb00faf 100644
--- a/configure.cmake
+++ b/configure.cmake
@@ -819,12 +819,6 @@ qt_feature("shani" PRIVATE
 )
 qt_feature_definition("shani" "QT_COMPILER_SUPPORTS_SHA" VALUE "1")
 qt_feature_config("shani" QMAKE_PRIVATE_CONFIG)
-qt_feature("simdAlways"
-    LABEL "Intrinsics without compiler architecture option"
-    CONDITION ( ( ( TEST_architecture_arch STREQUAL i386 ) OR ( TEST_architecture_arch STREQUAL x86_64 ) ) AND ON ) OR ( TEST_architecture_arch STREQUAL arm64 )
-)
-qt_feature_definition("simdAlways" "QT_COMPILER_SUPPORTS_SIMD_ALWAYS" VALUE "1")
-qt_feature_config("simdAlways" QMAKE_PRIVATE_CONFIG)
 qt_feature("mips_dsp" PRIVATE
     LABEL "DSP"
     CONDITION ( TEST_architecture_arch STREQUAL mips ) AND TEST_arch_${TEST_architecture_arch}_subarch_dsp
@@ -1079,10 +1073,6 @@ qt_configure_add_summary_entry(
     MESSAGE "Other x86"
     CONDITION ( ( TEST_architecture_arch STREQUAL i386 ) OR ( TEST_architecture_arch STREQUAL x86_64 ) )
 )
-qt_configure_add_summary_entry(
-    ARGS "simdAlways"
-    CONDITION ( ( TEST_architecture_arch STREQUAL i386 ) OR ( TEST_architecture_arch STREQUAL x86_64 ) OR ( TEST_architecture_arch STREQUAL arm64 ) ) AND NOT MSVC
-)
 qt_configure_add_summary_entry(
     TYPE "featureList"
     ARGS "neon arm_crc32 arm_crypto"
diff --git a/src/corelib/global/qlogging.cpp b/src/corelib/global/qlogging.cpp
index a50eccfa7f..7b8c030e54 100644
--- a/src/corelib/global/qlogging.cpp
+++ b/src/corelib/global/qlogging.cpp
@@ -1273,7 +1273,7 @@ void QMessagePattern::setPattern(const QString &pattern)
 #if defined(QLOGGING_HAVE_BACKTRACE) && !defined(QT_BOOTSTRAPPED)
 // make sure the function has "Message" in the name so the function is removed
 
-#if ((defined(Q_CC_GNU) && defined(QT_COMPILER_SUPPORTS_SIMD_ALWAYS)) || __has_attribute(optimize)) \
+#if (defined(Q_CC_GNU) || __has_attribute(optimize)) \
     && !defined(Q_CC_INTEL) && !defined(Q_CC_CLANG)
 // force skipping the frame pointer, to save the backtrace() function some work
 __attribute__((optimize("omit-frame-pointer")))
diff --git a/src/corelib/global/qsimd_p.h b/src/corelib/global/qsimd_p.h
index 8f71b34fea..ab865f0985 100644
--- a/src/corelib/global/qsimd_p.h
+++ b/src/corelib/global/qsimd_p.h
@@ -103,6 +103,9 @@
  *   sub-arch. Only inside such functions is the use of the intrisics
  *   guaranteed to work. This is useful with runtime detection (see below).
  *
+ * The distinction between QT_COMPILER_SUPPORTS and QT_COMPILER_SUPPORTS_HERE is
+ * historical: GCC 4.8 needed the distinction.
+ *
  * Runtime detection of a CPU sub-architecture can be done with the
  * qCpuHasFeature(XXX) function. There are two strategies for generating
  * optimized code like that:
@@ -145,7 +148,7 @@
 
 #define QT_COMPILER_SUPPORTS(x)     (QT_COMPILER_SUPPORTS_ ## x - 0)
 
-#if defined(Q_PROCESSOR_ARM) && defined(QT_COMPILER_SUPPORTS_SIMD_ALWAYS)
+#if defined(Q_PROCESSOR_ARM)
 #  define QT_COMPILER_SUPPORTS_HERE(x)    ((__ARM_FEATURE_ ## x) || (__ ## x ## __) || QT_COMPILER_SUPPORTS(x))
 #  if defined(Q_CC_GNU)
      /* GCC requires attributes for a function */
@@ -162,7 +165,7 @@
 #  if !defined(__MIPS_DSPR2__) && defined(__mips_dspr2) && defined(Q_PROCESSOR_MIPS_32)
 #    define __MIPS_DSPR2__
 #  endif
-#elif defined(Q_PROCESSOR_X86) && defined(QT_COMPILER_SUPPORTS_SIMD_ALWAYS)
+#elif defined(Q_PROCESSOR_X86)
 #  if defined(Q_CC_CLANG) && defined(Q_CC_MSVC)
 #    define QT_COMPILER_SUPPORTS_HERE(x)    (__ ## x ## __)
 #  else