Apple confirms iPhones with older batteries take a performance hit

[Arthur]

To restore performance, replace the battery.

 

Sources: The Verge / Geekbench / Reddit

 

Reddit users have noticed that Apple appears to be slowing down old iPhones that have low-capacity batteries. While many iPhone users have experienced perceived slowdowns due to iOS updates over the years, it appears that there’s now proof Apple is throttling processor speeds when a battery capacity deteriorates over time.

 

Geekbench developer John Poole has mapped out performance for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 over time, and has come to the conclusion that Apple’s iOS 10.2.1 and 11.2.0 updates introduce this throttling for different devices. iOS 10.2.1 is particularly relevant, as this update was designed to reduce random shutdown issues for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S. Apple’s fix appears to be throttling the CPU to prevent the phone from randomly shutting down. Geekbench reports that iOS 11.2.0 introduces similar throttling for iPhone 7 units with older batteries.

 

Some Reddit users report that replacing their batteries has returned performance and CPU clock speeds back to normal. The reports are particularly troubling because any perceived slowdowns by iPhone users might tempt owners to upgrade their entire device instead of replace the battery. “This fix will also cause users to think, 'my phone is slow so I should replace it' not, 'my phone is slow so I should replace its battery,’” says Geekbench’s John Poole.

 

When reached for comment, Apple basically confirmed the findings to The Verge, but disputes the assumed intention:

 

Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

 

Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.

 

Apple is effectively saying that it’s not slowing down older iPhones just to urge people to upgrade to newer devices. Rather, the company says it’s addressing an issue with devices containing older lithium-ion batteries that results in unexpected shutdowns. Because those older batteries are incapable of handling peak current draws with the same effectiveness of iPhones with newer batteries and more efficient processors, they run the risk of the device powering down to prevent damage to its internal components.

 

[Sheridan]

Wouldn't be so bad if the batteries were easy to replace! Mind you that applies to most phones these days.

[atcoates]

This is really bad for consumers and think this story will get bigger with possible legal ramifications. There will have been plenty of people that would have purchased new phones based on the performance dip they have suffered. Can you imagine if Intel or AMD implemented something like this to PCs via a Microsoft update. It would be world wide news. Maybe somewhere in apple T & Cs they have themselves covered but if they haven't...

[Geoff]

Colour me surprised. Apple is a financial engineering company with a sideline in selling people revisionist phones and tablets. Why anyone would expect them to act ethically or in the consumers best interest is beyond me.

[DGardiner]

should be a optional/nag you feature, i dont disagree with what theyre doing in theory... as they're making your phone last the day but having it set by them and not able to be turned off is kinda crap

[localzuk]

I smell a class action lawsuit coming in the US.

[Brimstone]

Colour me surprised. Apple is a financial engineering company with a sideline in selling people revisionist phones and tablets. Why anyone would expect them to act ethically or in the consumers best interest is beyond me.

Like Microsoft or any other IT Vendor has never done anything like this......

[localzuk]

Like Microsoft or any other IT Vendor has never done anything like this......

 

Hmm...

[Geoff]

Like Microsoft or any other IT Vendor has never done anything like this......

 

I can't claim other large tech companies are not doing this because they are, Amazon in particular would be another one I would point a finger at. However Apple is by far the worst offender.

[Arthur]

I smell a class action lawsuit coming in the US.

Multiple lawsuits have been filed...

 

https://9to5mac.com/2017/12/21/apple-lawsuit-slow-down-older-iphones

 

Following yesterday’s revelation that it slows down older iPhones to help manage batter wear, Apple today has been hit with its first class action lawsuit over the tactic. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, California, accuses Apple’s battery saving “feature” of causing users to suffer and hurting the value of older devices…

 

TMZ first reported on the lawsuit, which was filed by plaintiff Stefan Bodganovich. While this case seems to be focused primarily on the iPhone 7 – which just recently was updated with the battery/performance balancing feature – we have to imagine this won’t be the only lawsuit Apple sees because of this feature.

 

The plaintiff says that Apple’s decision to slow older iPhones to preserve battery health was “never requested or agreed upon.” Unsurprisingly, he also accuses Apple of using this feature as a ploy to push more users to upgrade every year.

 

Bodganovich is seeking damages payments to affected users, and he also wants Apple to stop the practice altogether.

 

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/apple-sued-in-chicago-for-slowing-down-older-iphones

 

A day after Apple acknowledged that their software updates slow down older iPhone models, five customers have filed a federal lawsuit in Chicago against the tech giant for what they’re calling “deceptive, immoral and unethical” practices that violate consumer protection laws.

 

The suit was filed Thursday by two Illinoisans along with Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina residents, who had a range of models from the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 7.

 

They claim that Apple’s iOS updates “were engineered to purposefully slow down or ‘throttle down’ the performance speeds” of the iPhone 5, iPhone 6 and iPhone 7.

 

Apple representatives could not be reached for comment.

 

iPhone users have long speculated that once a new iPhone is released, software updates would slog down older models to push customers to buy new phones.

[Arthur]

A Message to Our Customers about iPhone Batteries and Performance

 

We’ve been hearing feedback from our customers about the way we handle performance for iPhones with older batteries and how we have communicated that process. We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize. There’s been a lot of misunderstanding about this issue, so we would like to clarify and let you know about some changes we’re making.

 

First and foremost, we have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades. Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.

 

[...]

 

Addressing customer concerns

We’ve always wanted our customers to be able to use their iPhones as long as possible. We’re proud that Apple products are known for their durability, and for holding their value longer than our competitors’ devices.

 

To address our customers’ concerns, to recognize their loyalty and to regain the trust of anyone who may have doubted Apple’s intentions, we’ve decided to take the following steps:

 

• Apple is reducing the price of an out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement by $50 — from $79 to $29 — for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced, starting in late January and available worldwide through December 2018. Details will be provided soon on apple.com.
  
• Early in 2018, we will issue an iOS software update with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance.
  
• As always, our team is working on ways to make the user experience even better, including improving how we manage performance and avoid unexpected shutdowns as batteries age.
  

At Apple, our customers’ trust means everything to us. We will never stop working to earn and maintain it. We are able to do the work we love only because of your faith and support — and we will never forget that or take it for granted.

[rich_tech]

I’ll wait on the uk pricing for that then, my 6 plus is out of warranty and the battery has been struggling lately because of these updated, I’m now getting about 12-18 hours out of it and charging it in car on way to work

[elsiegee40]

I’ll wait on the uk pricing for that then, my 6 plus is out of warranty and the battery has been struggling lately because of these updated, I’m now getting about 12-18 hours out of it and charging it in car on way to work

 

My iPhone 6 battery is struggling too. I will join you in the battery queue!

[GrumbleDook]

My iPhone SE was replaced after a screen replacement failed but I’ll get the battery replaced prior to my summer upgrade so that it is in a reasonable condition when I hand it down to my Wife.

 

I have a similar issue with my iPad though ... and looking through other comments on Apple forums, things don’t seem quite right with them too ...

 

I wonder if this has more to come out

[rich_tech]

I think the class action will be telling there in the US, it has long been rumoured about the obsolescence, I noticed that this was an issue all the way through owning Apple products that I have had, my 4s slowed down hideously after I upgraded that way back

[HarryMonkey]

Apple are offering a free battery replacement on certain phones ... I think it's just the 6S models, anyway, you can check on the website below and it will tell you if you qualify for a free battery replacement. I tested my OH's phone and it qualifies so I just need to prise it away from her for long enough to get it fixed.

 

https://www.apple.com/uk/support/iphone6s-unexpectedshutdown/

 

This is an article from Money Saving Expert

 

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/phones/2016/11/apple-offers-free-battery-replacement-to-owners-of-faulty-iphone-6s--how-to-check-if-youre-eligible

Edited January 4, 2018 by HarryMonkey

[2ilent8cho]

My iPhone 5 when it was close to 500 cycles (which is when Apple class it as worn out (1000 cycles on Macbooks and iPad,) would shutdown instantly if i tried to load an app up outside in the winter when the battery would be anywhere below 50%. So to stop this Apple have made the iPhones since the 6 slow the CPU down if they detect the battery is worn out so the phone does not instantly shutdown. I really don't get why some are having a fit over them improving user experience. Which would people rather the phone do when the battery is worn out and you need to make a phone call? Take 0.5 seconds longer to load the phone app or shutdown and not be able to make the call?

 

Only good thing is Apple have promised to add more battery information in settings in an upcoming iOS update, so i am hoping it will show cycle count like Macs do at last.

[HBPS]

my iphone 5s does this at least once a day

[jthompson]

I'm assuming that the batteries were designed to perform 'artificially' well for initial reviews, at the expense of longevity. I think I read somewhere about a trade-off between energy density and performance degredation.

[Arthur]

iPhone owners have less than two weeks to replace battery for £25

 

Owners of iPhones with failing batteries have 12 days to take advantage of Apple’s out-of-warranty £25 battery swap offer before the price rises to as much as £65.

 

The discounted battery replacement scheme, which applies to the iPhone 6 and newer models, was launched following revelations last year that Apple was intentionally slowing iPhones because of worn batteries.

 

Apple apologised and reduced the cost of its out-of-warranty battery replacements for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, 6S and 6S Plus, SE, 7 and 7 Plus, 8 and 8 Plus and iPhone X.

 

It also rolled out an iOS software update that showed the health of the phone’s battery and allowed users to switch off the feature that slowed their performance to avoid power problems.

 

If the iPhone reports that the battery is worn out or a user experiences slower performance because of an old battery, they can get it replaced in-store for £25 or via post for an additional £7.44 shipping fee.

 

But from 1 January, the cost of a battery replacement will increase to £45 for phones from the iPhone 6 or newer, or £65 for the iPhone X. The cost for older iPhones such as the 5S will be £79.

 

Battery replacements within the warranty period, or if the user has Apple’s extended warranty, AppleCare+, are free.

 

Apple said in December last year that it intentionally slowed iPhones via software updates to prolong their useful life and avoid power problems caused by degraded batteries in older devices.

 

But it did so without informing users, leading many to accuse the company of resorting to planned obsolescence, something Apple strongly denies.

[GrumbleDook]

Got one done on Monday (health at 74%) and the older one will get booked in shortly.