Apple slows your iPhone on purpose. (1 Viewer)

[SebaSaint]

I know that technically this would belong on the Tech board but I think it's a big enough story to warrant EE residency.

Apple statement on the issue:

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.
​

The gist, as it always is, is that Apple is being super petty and trying to force customers to upgrade their phones by making their old phones run slower.
As always, the answer is no. It would be beyond stupid and incredibly short-sighted for Apple to do this and, if it was actually true, would likely lead to tangles of a governmental and legal nature that no company like Apple would ever want to happen.
Instead, Apple is focusing attention on smoothing out the very high and quick peaks of power draw that can cause problems with older batteries.

https://techcrunch.com/2017/12/20/a...ones-with-older-batteries-are-running-slower/

So if you have an older iPhone, you're probably jealous of interchangeable battery packs on Androids like I am right now. However, if your iPhone is still under warranty/AppleCare you can get that battery replaced for free. Otherwise, it's $79 plus shipping and you'll need to contact Apple via Here or going to the Apple Store for them to run diagnostics.

 

[Brock Meaux]

My 6+ is almost 4 years old and it’s still humming along. No battery issue. But I’ve felt it slow down pretty noticeably over the last 6 months or so, and it’s time for an upgrade, so I’m currently weighing my options between an 8+ and an X.

 

[Craig Walker]

Yeah, funny how my phone always gets screwy when a new phone is released.

Texting and voice dictation are terrible. (stupid crap auto correct comes up with)

 

[melman]

Good to know about the battery replacement. I was dreading replacing my 6 since no way am I getting an 8 or X or 7. $79 is better than $799... I've always bought Apple refurbished phones for my family with zero problems at a fraction of cost.

 

[SebaSaint]

Yeah, funny how my phone always gets screwy when a new phone is released.

Texting and voice dictation are terrible. (stupid crap auto correct comes up with)

A new phone release generally coincides with new software update release. I wonder if someone never updated to the latest iOS if the phone would not see the smoothing/throttling of performance.

One issue you might see is the phone shutting down unexpectedly, which I've seen happen many times, this throttling is meant to prevent that from happening.

 

[SebaSaint]

Good to know about the battery replacement. I was dreading replacing my 6 since no way am I getting an 8 or X or 7. $79 is better than $799... I've always bought Apple refurbished phones for my family with zero problems at a fraction of cost.

Good. I figured someone would benefit from the info. Apple's done a poor job in communicating this issue IMO and I'm the biggest fanboi I know.

 

[Heathen Saint]

Slight rant here.

One thing about switching to Android was that I immediately had 10x the ability to customize and have access to tweaks I use everyday that I had forgotten existed while on iOS. It does disappoint me that the Pixel got rid of the headphone jack, but it's not a dealbreaker.

While admittedly both Android and iOS borrow ideas from the other, it just becomes so annoying to live with Apple feeding you boring scraps every iteration instead of exploring every feature to add from the start. No apple, nobody GAF if you can airdrop if it isn't more easily accessible or send payments between iPhones or your damned satisfying blue messages. Yeah, security is quite important and I understand the walled garden mindset, but it comes at the price of stagnation--which i'd argue is more and more how people view Apple.

Build a damn iPhone Active. 6.2" edge to edge screen, stylus..Military grade waterproof,dust,snow,dirt,grime,fish slime, etc etc. with the ability to add homescreen widgets (yeah i know, probably never),FAST CHARGING, a battery you can't kill, keep improving a great camera, unlimited photo storage, a Siri that can access every app and perform any command or just doesn't suck so badly, 128 gb standard entry level storage at SAME PRICE as 64gb...And DON'T slow down older iterations of software.

Oh hell..I just described an Android device. Ha!

People would buy the hell out of a pie in the sky device like this. I'm sure it could eist. But it likely won't ever. And because of that reason (apple's hesitation to give you the features you need, not more fluff), more folks who want more out of their devices will easily go android.

My favorite phone to this day was my old HTC Evo 4G. The last Android OS i remember running on it was Jelly Bean. Interchangeable battery/back faceplates, good camera for the times, kickstand and speakers.

 

[SebaSaint]

Slight rant here.

A little understated...

I'm not interested in Apple vs. Android debates. I'm firmly planted in the walled garden but I do look over the wall jealously and just wait patiently till Apple does their version. I've got my little ecosystem working for me with all my kids and their hand me down iPhones playing nicely in my patch of that walled garden.

I do see how the different ecosystems are starting to interact more as services start outpacing hardware sales. See Apple Music on Android... there will be more of this and then it'll come down to which service is best.

 

[Zardnok]

Slight rant here...

Build a damn iPhone Active. 6.2" edge to edge screen, stylus..Military grade waterproof,dust,snow,dirt,grime,fish slime, etc etc. with the ability to add homescreen widgets (yeah i know, probably never),FAST CHARGING, a battery you can't kill, keep improving a great camera, unlimited photo storage, a Siri that can access every app and perform any command or just doesn't suck so badly, 128 gb standard entry level storage at SAME PRICE as 64gb...And DON'T slow down older iterations of software.

Oh hell..I just described an Android device. Ha!

People would buy the hell out of a pie in the sky device like this. I'm sure it could eist. But it likely won't ever. And because of that reason (apple's hesitation to give you the features you need, not more fluff), more folks who want more out of their devices will easily go android.

I recently updated my old Note 4 that was having battery issues. It would show 50% charge and die. It would reboot and reboot and reboot until I plugged it into charge. Plug it up, the battery would show as 50% and it would work fine. Anything below half battery life could kill it without warning, so perhaps this latest iOS update solves a problem for older iPhone users similar to the one I had on my old Note 4.

That said, I replaced it with the Note 8 in a Tech 21 case rated for 10 foot drop protection. I tease my family members when they see it and ask me what it is. I tell them it is an iPhone 12. They can buy one in 2 years when Apple releases it or if they want it today, they can buy the Note 8. It is IP68 (Ingress Protection), so it can survive a sandstorm as well as a dunk in the pool. I have a Wireless charging pad on my desk, so I just set it down next to my mouse pad and it is always charged. My photos are automatically synced with my Google account, so I have unlimited storage and access from any device. No clue if Bixby is anything like Siri, I am not a fan of either, so I have not set it up.

My fiance liked my Note 8 so much, she dropped her Pixel in the toilet and replaced it with the new Samsung S8+, which is also IP68 protection.

 

[jrdbrn]

My 6+ is almost 4 years old and it’s still humming along. No battery issue. But I’ve felt it slow down pretty noticeably over the last 6 months or so, and it’s time for an upgrade, so I’m currently weighing my options between an 8+ and an X.

Damn... so you're doing exactly what they want.

I am switching to Android... I am tired of Apple's antics.

 

[Brock Meaux]

Damn... so you're doing exactly what they want.

I am switching to Android... I am tired of Apple's antics.

We both want it.

Antics? They built one hell of a phone that lasted 3 1/2 years, that I could easily continue to use, but I’m a tech fan and I’m ready for something new. But you show them.

 

[RetroMcBananaFace]

No surprise. This is why I hate all things Apple. They're insidious.

 

[SebaSaint]

No surprise. This is why I hate all things Apple. They're insidious.

I'm not sure why the animosity. It's just a product... one of the most successful in all of history. Quality build, wildly popular and has created so many jobs and cottage industries along the way.

"insidious". lol, ridiculous.

 

[Galbreath34]

I don't share the opinion, but a lot of people have strong opinions about companies and their policies and if they think they have a valid reason for mistrusting them feel that they're really manipulating the public.

Probably one of the most common to be hated like this is Microsoft, who to me seems pretty open and one of the more progressive pro-consumer companies out there (while still being greedy and a profit-driven after all at its heart). Still the hate against them is strong and emotional when you hit it. Facebook, Apple and Google get quite a bit of it, and Amazon even gets some of it. It's what happens when you have companies that dive deep into our personal information and collect it and drive a lot of the contact between our deeply personal identities and business technology. Good unions where we don't think about the heavy investment in manipulating us into assenting and enjoy it make us "love" the company and sacrifice to it. Bad unions make us bitter and hostile.

 

[Domefan504]

Ain't the Net Neutrality repeal great? They can mess with your batteries now too!