diff --git a/libavutil/buffer.c b/libavutil/buffer.c
index e8ec2c97e0..e9bf54b96c 100644
--- a/libavutil/buffer.c
+++ b/libavutil/buffer.c
@@ -117,35 +117,6 @@ void av_buffer_unref(AVBufferRef **buf)
     }
 }
 
-int av_buffer_release(AVBufferRef **buf, uint8_t **data)
-{
-    AVBuffer *b;
-    int ret = 0;
-
-    if (data)
-        *data = NULL;
-    if (!buf || !*buf)
-        return 0;
-    b = (*buf)->buffer;
-    av_freep(buf);
-
-    if (data && avpriv_atomic_int_get(&b->refcount) > 1) {
-        *data = av_memdup(b->data, b->size);
-        if (!*data)
-            ret = AVERROR(ENOMEM);
-    }
-
-    if (!avpriv_atomic_int_add_and_fetch(&b->refcount, -1)) {
-        if (data && !*data) {
-            ret = 0;
-            *data = b->data;
-        } else
-            b->free(b->opaque, b->data);
-        av_freep(&b);
-    }
-    return ret;
-}
-
 int av_buffer_is_writable(const AVBufferRef *buf)
 {
     if (buf->buffer->flags & AV_BUFFER_FLAG_READONLY)
diff --git a/libavutil/buffer.h b/libavutil/buffer.h
index 8cf2cbf302..b4399fd39f 100644
--- a/libavutil/buffer.h
+++ b/libavutil/buffer.h
@@ -154,18 +154,6 @@ AVBufferRef *av_buffer_ref(AVBufferRef *buf);
  */
 void av_buffer_unref(AVBufferRef **buf);
 
-/**
- * Free a given reference and pass underlaying data to user provided pointer.
- * If there is more than one reference then data is copied.
- *
- * @param buf  the reference to be released. The pointer is set to NULL on return.
- * @param data pointer to be passed with underlaying data.
- * @return 0 on success, a negative AVERROR on failure.
- *
- * @note on error buffer is properly released and *data is set to NULL.
- */
-int av_buffer_release(AVBufferRef **buf, uint8_t **data);
-
 /**
  * @return 1 if the caller may write to the data referred to by buf (which is
  * true if and only if buf is the only reference to the underlying AVBuffer).