Apple Reportedly Slowing Down Older iPhones
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Ever wonder why your iPhone seems to slow down when a new version of the phone is released?
Rumors have swirled that Apple may be slowing down older phones in an attempt to get users to buy their latest product.
While that remains to be proven, Apple has commented on the alleged "speed throttling".
John Poole, a developer with Geekbench, has monitored iPhone performance and come to the conclusion that new Apple updates introduce throttling for different devices. During Poole's tests, he noticed speed issues when comparing Apple's iOS 10.2.1 and 11.2.0 updates for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 over time.
Apple tells The Verge that they are slowing down older iPhones, but not to force consumers to buy new phones.
Here's the statement Apple sent to The Verge:
"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 says it's addressing an issue with devices containing older lithium-ion batteries which results in unexpected shutdowns.
Older batteries are reportedly incapable of handling "peak current draws" with the same effectiveness of iPhones with newer batteries--so the updates are designed to "prolong the life of the devices."
One solution to fix the slower phones is to replace the battery instead of buying a new phone.
