SUMMARY
Since some time, any small package update in KDE neon user requires a reboot to install/apply it. Previously, the system never never had to reboot for such updates, which I found better since it was faster.
Is this an intended new feature or did it happen inadvertently?

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Wait for the update notifier to show new packages are available
2. Open discover and click on the update button
3. After all packages are downloaded, a pop-up will show up informing that a reboot is needed
4. The update will be applied during the next (re)start, which takes singnificantly longer, depending on the amount of packages
5. During restart, gnu grub will show up and ask whether to boot kde neon.

OBSERVED RESULT
A reboot is required for any small package update

EXPECTED RESULT
It should not be required generally, only for those updates where it is really necessary

Operating System: KDE neon 5.21
KDE Plasma Version: 5.21.4
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.81.0
Qt Version: 5.15.2
Kernel Version: 5.4.0-71-generic
OS Type: 64-bit
Graphics Platform: Wayland