diff --git a/libavcodec/avcodec.h b/libavcodec/avcodec.h
index 7e5aee2094..a5ae852aea 100644
--- a/libavcodec/avcodec.h
+++ b/libavcodec/avcodec.h
@@ -3391,6 +3391,7 @@ AVFrame *avcodec_alloc_frame(void);
  */
 void avcodec_get_frame_defaults(AVFrame *frame);
 
+#if FF_API_AVFRAME_LAVC
 /**
  * Free the frame and any dynamically allocated objects in it,
  * e.g. extended_data.
@@ -3400,8 +3401,12 @@ void avcodec_get_frame_defaults(AVFrame *frame);
  * @warning this function does NOT free the data buffers themselves
  * (it does not know how, since they might have been allocated with
  *  a custom get_buffer()).
+ *
+ * @deprecated use av_frame_free()
  */
+attribute_deprecated
 void avcodec_free_frame(AVFrame **frame);
+#endif
 
 /**
  * Initialize the AVCodecContext to use the given AVCodec. Prior to using this
diff --git a/libavcodec/utils.c b/libavcodec/utils.c
index 59f7d7563f..fb6fa9234a 100644
--- a/libavcodec/utils.c
+++ b/libavcodec/utils.c
@@ -1087,22 +1087,12 @@ AVFrame *avcodec_alloc_frame(void)
 
     return frame;
 }
-#endif
 
 void avcodec_free_frame(AVFrame **frame)
 {
-    AVFrame *f;
-
-    if (!frame || !*frame)
-        return;
-
-    f = *frame;
-
-    if (f->extended_data != f->data)
-        av_freep(&f->extended_data);
-
-    av_freep(frame);
+    av_frame_free(frame);
 }
+#endif
 
 MAKE_ACCESSORS(AVCodecContext, codec, AVRational, pkt_timebase)
 MAKE_ACCESSORS(AVCodecContext, codec, const AVCodecDescriptor *, codec_descriptor)