diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index 1ec0a6c..a4e09f2 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
 
 S3method(.DollarNames,MultiAssayExperiment)
+export("drops<-")
 export("experiments<-")
 export("sampleMap<-")
 export(DataFrame)
@@ -9,6 +10,7 @@ export(MatchedAssayExperiment)
 export(MultiAssayExperiment)
 export(MultiAssayExperimentToMAF)
 export(anyReplicated)
+export(drops)
 export(experiments)
 export(exportClass)
 export(getWithColData)
@@ -47,7 +49,6 @@ exportMethods("[[<-")
 exportMethods("colData<-")
 exportMethods("colnames<-")
 exportMethods("experiments<-")
-exportMethods("metadata<-")
 exportMethods("names<-")
 exportMethods("sampleMap<-")
 exportMethods(anyReplicated)
@@ -58,13 +59,13 @@ exportMethods(colData)
 exportMethods(colnames)
 exportMethods(complete.cases)
 exportMethods(dimnames)
+exportMethods(drops)
 exportMethods(experiments)
 exportMethods(exportClass)
 exportMethods(hasRowRanges)
 exportMethods(isEmpty)
 exportMethods(length)
 exportMethods(mergeReplicates)
-exportMethods(metadata)
 exportMethods(names)
 exportMethods(replicated)
 exportMethods(replicates)
diff --git a/R/MultiAssayExperiment-class.R b/R/MultiAssayExperiment-class.R
index 78ffaa0..f5045c7 100644
--- a/R/MultiAssayExperiment-class.R
+++ b/R/MultiAssayExperiment-class.R
@@ -560,12 +560,6 @@ setMethod("colData", "MultiAssayExperiment", function(x, ...) {
     getElement(x, "colData")
 })
 
-#' @exportMethod metadata
-#' @rdname MultiAssayExperiment-methods
-setMethod("metadata", "MultiAssayExperiment", function(x)
-    c(getElement(x, "metadata"), drops = getElement(x, "drops"))
-)
-
 ### - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 ### Getters
 ###
@@ -582,6 +576,15 @@ setMethod("names", "MultiAssayExperiment", function(x)
     names(experiments(x))
 )
 
+#' @export
+setGeneric("drops", function(x) standardGeneric("drops"))
+
+#' @exportMethod drops
+#' @describeIn MultiAssayExperiment Get information about dropped experiments
+setMethod("drops", "MultiAssayExperiment", function(x) {
+    getElement(x, "drops")
+})
+
 ### - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 ### Replacers
 ###
@@ -623,6 +626,7 @@ setReplaceMethod("sampleMap", c("MultiAssayExperiment", "ANY"),
 setGeneric("experiments<-", function(object, value)
     standardGeneric("experiments<-"))
 
+#' @export
 setGeneric("drops<-", function(x, ..., value) standardGeneric("drops<-"))
 
 #' @exportMethod experiments<-
@@ -630,9 +634,10 @@ setGeneric("drops<-", function(x, ..., value) standardGeneric("drops<-"))
 setReplaceMethod("experiments", c("MultiAssayExperiment", "ExperimentList"),
     function(object, value) {
         if (!any(names(object) %in% names(value)) && !isEmpty(object)) {
+            if (isEmpty(drops(x)))
+                warning("'experiments' dropped; see 'drops()'", call. = FALSE)
             drops(object) <-
                 list(experiments = setdiff(names(object), names(value)))
-            warning("'experiments' dropped; see 'metadata'", call. = FALSE)
         }
         o_cnames <- colnames(object)
         v_cnames <- colnames(value)
@@ -725,14 +730,6 @@ setReplaceMethod("colData", c("MultiAssayExperiment", "ANY"),
                      colname = sampMap[["assay"]]))
 }
 
-#' @exportMethod metadata<-
-#' @rdname MultiAssayExperiment-methods
-setReplaceMethod("metadata", c("MultiAssayExperiment", "ANY"),
-    function(x, ..., value) {
-        slot(x, "metadata") <- value
-        return(x)
-})
-
 setReplaceMethod("drops", c("MultiAssayExperiment", "ANY"),
     function(x, ..., value) {
         anydrops <- getElement(x, "drops")[["experiments"]]
diff --git a/R/subsetBy-methods.R b/R/subsetBy-methods.R
index d8c85e5..2378d72 100644
--- a/R/subsetBy-methods.R
+++ b/R/subsetBy-methods.R
@@ -333,8 +333,9 @@ setMethod("subsetByAssay", c("MultiAssayExperiment", "ANY"), function(x, y) {
     subexp <- experiments(x)[y]
     dropnames <- setdiff(names(experiments(x)), names(subexp))
     if (length(dropnames)) {
+        if (isEmpty(drops(x)))
+            warning("'experiments' dropped; see 'drops()'", call. = FALSE)
         drops(x) <- list(experiments = dropnames)
-        warning("'experiments' dropped; see 'metadata'", call. = FALSE)
     }
     experiments(x) <- subexp
     return(x)
diff --git a/man/MultiAssayExperiment-class.Rd b/man/MultiAssayExperiment-class.Rd
index f944217..6fbff6d 100644
--- a/man/MultiAssayExperiment-class.Rd
+++ b/man/MultiAssayExperiment-class.Rd
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 \alias{show,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
 \alias{length,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
 \alias{names,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
+\alias{drops,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
 \alias{updateObject,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
 \alias{coerce-MultiAssayExperiment}
 \alias{coerce,list,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
@@ -27,6 +28,8 @@
 
 \S4method{names}{MultiAssayExperiment}(x)
 
+\S4method{drops}{MultiAssayExperiment}(x)
+
 \S4method{updateObject}{MultiAssayExperiment}(object, ..., verbose = FALSE)
 
 \S4method{dimnames}{MultiAssayExperiment}(x)
@@ -124,6 +127,8 @@ named arguments. See the examples below.
 
 \item \code{names(MultiAssayExperiment)}: Get the names of the ExperimentList
 
+\item \code{drops(MultiAssayExperiment)}: Get information about dropped experiments
+
 \item \code{updateObject(MultiAssayExperiment)}: Update old serialized MultiAssayExperiment
 objects to new API
 
diff --git a/man/MultiAssayExperiment-methods.Rd b/man/MultiAssayExperiment-methods.Rd
index 1b3e16f..32e860d 100644
--- a/man/MultiAssayExperiment-methods.Rd
+++ b/man/MultiAssayExperiment-methods.Rd
@@ -10,14 +10,12 @@
 \alias{sampleMap,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
 \alias{experiments,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
 \alias{colData,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
-\alias{metadata,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
 \alias{sampleMap<-,MultiAssayExperiment,DataFrame-method}
 \alias{sampleMap<-,MultiAssayExperiment,ANY-method}
 \alias{experiments<-,MultiAssayExperiment,ExperimentList-method}
 \alias{experiments<-,MultiAssayExperiment,List-method}
 \alias{colData<-,MultiAssayExperiment,DataFrame-method}
 \alias{colData<-,MultiAssayExperiment,ANY-method}
-\alias{metadata<-,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
 \alias{$<-,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
 \alias{names<-,MultiAssayExperiment-method}
 \alias{colnames<-,MultiAssayExperiment,List-method}
@@ -31,8 +29,6 @@
 
 \S4method{colData}{MultiAssayExperiment}(x, ...)
 
-\S4method{metadata}{MultiAssayExperiment}(x)
-
 \S4method{sampleMap}{MultiAssayExperiment,DataFrame}(object) <- value
 
 \S4method{sampleMap}{MultiAssayExperiment,ANY}(object) <- value
@@ -45,8 +41,6 @@
 
 \S4method{colData}{MultiAssayExperiment,ANY}(x) <- value
 
-\S4method{metadata}{MultiAssayExperiment}(x, ...) <- value
-
 \S4method{$}{MultiAssayExperiment}(x, name) <- value
 
 \S4method{names}{MultiAssayExperiment}(x) <- value