Is Apple slowing old iPhones down? Here's what's really happening
Cupertino-based tech giant, Apple, is in the middle of a new controversy after news of it intentionally slowing down old iPhones emerged. Users took to Reddit to share concerns about how they observed the performance on their iPhones deteriorate as their phone batteries aged.
This observation was particularly interesting because the age of a battery should have no effect on the speed of the phone. The performance of a smartphone is directly related to the processor on the device, which does not slow down with age. However, when users with older iPhones posted lower-than-expected Geekbench 4 scores, which increased after replacing the phone's battery, questions were raised over what was really happening.
What does Apple have to say?
As suspected initially, the culprit behind the slowdown was nobody else, but Apple. The issue being experienced by iPhone users has been triggered by the smartphone maker introducing what it is terming as new "feature" in its latest iOS update.
Addressing the speculation, Apple in a statement said:
"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."
But what does it mean?
Lithium-ion batteries used in mobile devices are notorious for losing capacity with use and time. However, in Apple's case, battery degradation also gave birth to a much bigger issue. Its phones were found not being able to handle high CPU load on degraded batteries, leading to them abruptly shutting down.
Instead of finding a real fix to the problem at hand, Apple introduced a feature to “smooth out” spikes in demand for power to prevent these iPhone models from shutting down due to weak batteries. So if Apple is to be believed, it silently started this practice a year ago, to compensate for battery degradation, and not to push frustrated users towards buying new iPhones faster.
The fault in Apple's argument
Despite the spin that Apple is trying to give to the story, what cannot be ignored is the fault in the way Apple has gone about trying to fixing the issue. As Wired explains, there are a number of ways in Apple could have found a fix without penalizing the consumers for what is clearly the company's fault and saving it from stepping on a PR minefield.
For starters, pulling out a move like this silently, it could have simply educated users about the limitations of lithium-ion batteries, says Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, a company that sells repair kits and posts repair guides for consumer electronics.
Another step it could have taken would have been "selling battery replacement kits to consumers, and letting them pop a fresh battery into their aging iPhone." This would have represented a far more understandable solution to the problem. Instead, as it stands, Apple will charge you exhorbitant amount for fixing a problem that it knows will ruin your smartphone experience sooner rather than later.
And last but not the least, if nothing else, the company could have left the choice in the user's hand, and given them the opportunity to opt in to a standalone update for fixing the shutdown issue.
As the article explains, "While making the throttling opt-in could cause performance issues for users who opt-out, it would give users a sense of control over the situation and avoid making them feel like they're being tricked into buying a new phone. As it stands, Apple's move comes off as deceptive."
What next?
Serious implications are what appears to be en route for Apple. As per a report published in Macrumors, "Los Angeles residents Stefan Bogdanovich and Dakota Speas, represented by Wilshire Law Firm, this morning filed a lawsuit with the US District Court for the Central District of California accusing Apple of slowing down their older iPhone models when new models come out."
This lawsuit, if upheld by the courts, would cover all persons residing in the United States who have owned iPhone models older than the iPhone 8, and from there could be picked up by agencies in other countries too, making Apple liable to compensate every iPhone owner who has been affected by its move.
What can you do?
Till this lawsuit plays out, there's not much you can do. But for those who want a little more power from their phones, the best step here would be to upgrade your battery. If that's not fine by you, the next best thing is to not update to the newer versions of the OS, or even downgrade using third party tools.
But if that also sounds too much, then the next best option at hand is to fall for the trap that Apple wants you to believe it did not set and simply abandon your year-old phone for a new iPhone that the company will again sell to you for a bomb.