Apple Has Been Quietly Throttling Your Older iPhones For a Year plus

[Larstrup]

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. The same is true of devices running in extremely cold or hot weather, as evidenced by a recent kerfuffle with the iPhone X shutting down randomly in freezing temperatures.

 

It all makes sense. As battery life degrades, a smartphone’s ability to achieve the same performance with less efficient battery use degrades as well, and Apple has released updates to address that problem as best it can and avoid embarrassing device malfunctions or even potentially dangerous component failures. However, the company isn’t doing itself very many favors by being a bit opaque. It’s clear that controversies like this — underpinned by conspiracy theories around planned obsolescence — sprout up because there is a lack of communication between device manufacturers like Apple and consumers.

 

It’s also clear that Apple, which makes its devices hard to open and repair, could do a better job helping consumers understand the benefits of battery replacement. That’s something the company seems less inclined to do when it might mean forgoing the sale of a new iPhone every 12 to 24 months.

 

Update at 2:47PM ET, 12/20: Added comment from Apple, and updated the headline to reflect its statement. This story was originally published at 5:35AM ET.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

It makes sense considering what happens to aged lithium ion batteries: Apple gets flak for admitting that they are doing their best to make old devices continue to work in the most seamless manner possible.

 

I don't see any issue with this. It's the media (again) turning a molehill into a mountain.

[+ oldNbusted]

The slings and arrows go with the territory of being successful, so I'm not too worried about Apple. I do get a laugh out of the so-called journalists who embarrass themselves trying to make a story out of this.

 

Meanwhile, in the real world, Apple will replace a battery for $80 or you can get a kit from ifixit for as little as $25. I had already been keeping tabs on this and my old iPhone battery is down to 60% of original capacity. I had decided when it gets down to 50%, I'll replace the battery, no big deal.

[Larstrup]

I don't believe that tech-media journalists are over-hyping this story, nor embarrassing themselves by covering it. In fact most tech sites are being quite reasonable, responsible and balanced covering this story after this new acknowledgement from Apple.

 

It's a story because of Apple's reluctance to engage in more transparent policies about their product, while quietly power managing and slowing your older iPhone. There will always be conspiracy theorists out there looking for a more devious explanation to any story and this expected battery degradation is no exception. And there will also be those who sue.

 

No one is disputing the fact that lithium-ion batteries degenerate over time with hundreds of charge cycles and environmental surroundings (extreme heat/cold).

 

And it's also true that for those inclined and with the time and patience, you can DIY replace your own battery (via third party) following a 25-step process which can take anywhere upwards to 45 minutes. Apple itself makes this intentionally more painful than it has to be by not educating their consumers about this, refusing to sell replacement batteries to its consumers, and constructing the iPhone in such a manner which is not user friendly to open or replace the battery.

 

A more transparent Apple could have mitigated these events and in turn created a more trustful consumer. I suspect they learned something this week. And that's a good thing for everyone.

[Norig]

I still own an iPhone 5s and it’s slower but thankfully it doesn’t crash at 30% anymore.

Messaging was poor but I think Apple has this unique position in that the life of their devices is far longer than almost all other smartphone vendors, not just because their devices do actually last a long time which again is an argument that what they are doing is not necessarily planned obsolescence of older devices.

[LoveNDino]

Apple will offer discounts on replacement batteries, following lawsuits over iPhone slowdowns

 

By Hayley Tsukayama December 28 at 5:23 PM

 

$29 instead of $79 starting in late January. The cheaper price is more in line with third-party repair shops.

 

While Apple's message was apologetic, it still rejected allegations that the company slowed down phones with older batteries as a way to push people into buying new phones. “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,” Apple said.

 

The company said previously that unless it reduces the performance of its phones, the older batteries run a higher risk of spontaneously shutting down. This explanation makes technical sense, many experts have said.

 

Apple's disclosure last week that it slows down phones has sparked criticism and lawsuits. A French consumer rights group filed a suit Wednesday that accuses Apple of degrading its old phones to sell new ones. In France, it's illegal to degrade old products to promote the sale of new ones, meaning that the suit filed in France by the group Halte à l’Obsolescence Programmée carries the possibility of up to two years in prison.

 

The group, which lays out its case in an online statement, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has also previously sued printer companies, including Epson, over claims that they violate the same law. The printer case is under investigation.

 

Apple also faces at least eight lawsuits from iPhone owners in places such as California, New York, New Jersey and Israel that claim Apple owes its customers money for not previously disclosing the slowdowns. The suits ask the company to pay iPhone owners varying amounts. One California suit seeks nearly $1 trillion in damages.

 

South Korean government telecommunications officials also have said that they will look into the reports, according to the Korea Herald.

 

Critics' arguments largely have rested on two claims — that Apple hurt the performance of the phones in secret and that doing so made it more likely that someone would buy a new iPhone rather than fix their old one.

 

That, argues one lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of New York, amounts to a sort of fraud: “Had Plaintiffs been informed by Apple that a simple battery replacement would have improved the performance of their iPhones, Plaintiffs would have chosen to replace their batteries which was clearly a more cost effective method rather than upgrading to a new iPhone that was extremely costly.”

 

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suits or the investigation.

 

The suits cap off a rocky year for Apple, which saw a lot of financial success but also a number of small controversies — including a bug that prevented iPhone owners from typing “i” and several software issues. It also faced criticism over a lukewarm reception for its iPhone X and had to delay the release of its smart speaker, the HomePod, until 2018.

 

That said, Apple's not hurting on the business front. Chief executive Tim Cook earned a $9.33 million end-of-year bonus thanks to strong stock market performance. And Apple appears to be finishing the year strong, with more people starting up new iPhones and iPads than devices from any other gadget maker this year, according to the research firm Flurry Analytics.

[+ deej]

I still own an iPhone 5s and it’s slower but thankfully it doesn’t crash at 30% anymore.

Messaging was poor but I think Apple has this unique position in that the life of their devices is far longer than almost all other smartphone vendors, not just because their devices do actually last a long time which again is an argument that what they are doing is not necessarily planned obsolescence of older devices.

 

This is true. The device itself isn't what's failing. It's the battery, which you can have replaced for about $70.

[+ deej]

Apple has now reduced the price for replacing the battery to $29.

[Larstrup]

Over 10,000,000 iPhone 6 devices were sold alone, during Apple’s launch weekend three years ago. The demand was so high they could not meet production versus orders. Only Apple knows for sure how many are currently in the hands of their customers.

 

This has to be a logistical nightmare for Apple from the standpoint of handling what is more than likely going to be considered a recall type event for many who own the iPhone 6. If you think your scheduled appointments at the Genius bar ran late under ordinary circumstances, plan accordingly for what will seemingly be even longer wait times if they handle these battery replacements as walk-in repairs.

 

Apple has yet to announce how these battery replacements will be handled and we won’t know until the end of January of next year what that process will look like.

 

It might end up being less painful to go with the third-party Ifixit who has now matched Apples $29 replacement cost.

 

But personally, I have no comfort level in going through a 25 step process to open up my iPhone 6 to replace a battery. I could perform surgery on my laptop in half that time with a far greater confidence I wasn’t going to fuck it up.

 

 

I don't see any issue with this. It's the media (again) turning a molehill into a mountain.

 

Obviously to Apple, this wasn’t the media turning a mole-hill into a mountain.

Edited December 30, 2017 by Larstrup

[wklucas]

Instead of delaying the start of offering discounted replacement batteries until late January, Apple decided that battery inventory on hand will meet the demand & the offer will be available now (or v v soon)....exact details & procedures to be released imminently.....not needed by myself personally - bought myself an "X" for Xmas.

(gifts for some others - scarves from duty-free Burberry @ Heathrow - colours & patterns definitely not sold / available in the States)