Tech

10 Facts About Apple Intentionally Slowing Down Older iPhone Models You Should Know

2017-12-22 , 5:37 pm

Despite the entry of new players into the market, the mobile phone market is still being led by two big firms, Apple and Samsung.

After releasing the iPhone a few weeks ago, things are not looking good for Apple.

Users complained that the iPhone X is unable to survive in cold weather.

And now, users are complaining that their iPhones are slowing down.

Seems like Apple has got a bit of tidying up to do huh?

The whole issue is kind of messy and here are ten facts that you should know, in case you’re eyeing that new iPhone.

1. Apple admitted

According to Fox News, Apple has admitted that it deliberately slows down older iPhone models to help preserve battery life in older phones.

Honesty is the best policy.

2. Their reason why

According to Fox News, Apple said that starting last year, iOS software included power management capabilities that slow down the system when it is in danger of shutting down.

Apple says it is trying to smooth out the high power draw peaks that can result in shutdowns to “deliver the best experience for customers.”

Hmmm, don’t all firms say that? Let’s move on.

3. Disclaimer

Lithium-ion batteries degrade over time, there’s nothing Apple can do to halt the process.

Apple then uses power management techniques to attempt to prolong the life of the iPhone and its battery.

Apple claims that power management is not a feature that’s been introduced to force users to upgrade by intentionally making devices work slower.

I see…

4. Affected models

Last year’s software change affected the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, 6S and 6S Plus and SE.

This year’s iOS 11.2 included the feature in iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

5. Going to affect other models

It will be applied to other Apple devices in the future, according to Apple.

So we don’t have a choice?

6. Apple is being sued for its admission

According to TMZ, an action suit has been filed against Apple by an iPhone 8 user from L.A.

He said that Apple’s slowing down of older iPhone models was not made known to users, and thinks it is a trick by Apple to get people to upgrade to new phones.

7. Test results

To check if our phones are really performing slower, Geekbench performed a test by plotting the kernel density of the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 7 running different versions of iOS.

Data shows that the change in iOS has resulted in a massive change, which could not be caused by merely ageing of the phone battery.

8. What Apple has got to say

“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.”

9. Unclear explanation

As many people have stated, Apple has not explained clearly why it has implemented these power management features.

It also failed to explain how the state of the battery ultimately affects iPhone performance.

10. Taking care of your iPhone

An iPhone’s battery is supposed to retain 80% of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles.

A battery that does not meet those parameters is considered defective.

It can be replaced for free for customers who have AppleCare+ or who have devices still under warranty.

Or you can just switch to Android phones and avoid all the disappointments!

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This article was first published on goodyfeed.com