Apple confirms it throttles performance of older iPhones

Posted on Thursday, December 21 2017 @ 13:03 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
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Earlier this month, reports hit the web that there seems to be a link between battery degradation and lower performance of older iPhone smartphones. Now there's official confirmation from Apple that there's indeed a feature in iOS that results in performance throttling when the system detects old batteries, batteries with low charge or that are cold.

The performance throttling was implemented on the iPhone 6, 6S and SE models in 2016, and on the iPhone 7 earlier this month with the rollout of iOS 11.2. Newer devices will also get the controversial feature in the future.

While some users are skeptic as this feature results in noticeable slower phones, Apple claims they're doing this to give users a better experience. The smartphone maker says they're doing this to prevent issues with unexpected shutdowns:
The company explained that when a battery is in a poor condition it may not be able to supply the required maximum current demanded by the phone’s processor at full speed. If that happens, the iPhone can shut down unexpectedly to protect the internal components.

It was one of the factors contributing to users finding that their iPhone 6S would turn off abruptly, even though there was about 30-40% charge remaining in the battery.

“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,” said an Apple spokesperson. “We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.”
The only solution is to get a new battery, a service for which Apple charges $79.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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