Apple Addresses Alleged Throttling of iPhones With Degraded Batteries

[Aydy]

My relationship with Apple is my choice, not yours. You do you. It costs me absolutely nothing to counteract lies and please refer to my first reason. I have no issue with legitimate criticism of Apple. I’ve done my own. I disagree with your characterization of the method Apple used to maintain the usability of an iPhone when its battery has reached the end of its life.

How are you counteracting lies? People here are discussing Apple intentionally slowing down iPhones. This was a theory that is now a fact.

There is no lie there. The closest you can come to lies is that Apple do this without the users knowledge which May or may not be an attempt to confuse the user into thinking they need a new device when a battery replacement would suffice and that Apple have chosen to withhold this information from the user...Until now, and after it gained momentum, first by a user’s own investigation and secondly by the journalist media who picked up on the interest the users findings had created. It simply took off and Apple were forced to respond.

Had this not come to light apples upgrade strategy/tactics would remain unchallenged and you can bet they would not freely be divulging this information had they not been found out.

 

[dazz87]

This is bad business, and looks like that could be Apple’s VW-emissions moment. I sincerely hope it rids us of Cook, Schiller, Cue, and the whole incompetent lot who’s managing the company’s pipeline as if they’re coasting towards retirement.

Or, as the Verge said: "Come on, just make a slightly thicker iPhone with a bigger battery. We’ve all been asking for it anyway."

Not going to happen, majority of users are fanboys and in their heart apple cant do no wrong.

 

[Geir]

Throttling only iPhones with old batteries is ********. Both mine and my girlfriend's iPhone 6 plus has become slow and laggy as h*** after upgrading to iOS 11. And mine is 3 months old after getting a new one on insurance for a broken one. Apple is losing it. Both iOS and OSX is starting to become buggy and crappy. At the same time they increase their prices to ridiculous amounts.

 

[firewood]

FACTS!!! I never had and official update or custom update slow any Android device I've had. And I've had tons.

That's because Android mobile phones typically use lower performance CPU cores than do iPhones. If you prefer that trade-off (a CPU that's slow even when the battery is brand new) go ahead and buy an Android phone.

iPhones appear to provide customers with a processor speed boost when the iPhone (and thus battery) is new (compared to similar Android products). Apple is just tuning the amount of speed boost to decrease the likelihood of sudden shutdowns.

 

[PPopMatt]

The point IS that it was the iOS 11.1 Update itself that ruined my iPhone 6's.

It wasn't the OLD battery!

I had Zero Battery Problems before. (Now it won't last a day even with everything swiped off)
I had no shut downs (Now it crashes, requires plugging in..)
I had no 20 second delays to type, nor to launch the camera. Now I DO but slightly better with 11.2...)

Nothing!

It was the update with a LOT of Apples usual - but worse than ever SHENANIGANS that made my iPhone virtually unusable.

And for that I AM PISSED period.

 

[laurim]

What bad information is on this subject?

Does Apple slow down phones such as the 6s after some battery degradation or not?
Did Apple share this information OPENLY before reddit caught them?
Did Apple change how the phone behaves AFTER it was released?

My comments were about way more than just this issue. There’s nothing nefarious about this software function. I’m sure there are a thousand ways iOS deals with different performance situations. The average user isn’t going to understand why cpu speeds get adjusted for different situations. All people would fixate on is the word “throttling” because nowadays everyone thinks everything is a conspiracy perpetrated by the big bad corporations. Your comment and others are a perfect case in point.

 

[Glideslope]

If its an actually battery issue under warranty they will replace it.
If its out of warranty then your out of luck for the most part.

However they do NOT throttle their phones. Further android updates will speed up or at minimum keep your phone at the same speed. (code and OS is more efficient over time) If your battery cant handle it over time, it shuts down the phone.

Thats all

Certainly seems to be quite a large number of new members (today) registered just for this thread????? Interesting.

 

[Count Blah]

I defend Apple for several reasons.

I feel free to criticize a major corporation, when they chose the bottom line, over their customers. And I am VERY critical when a major corporation specifically targets their most loyal fans/supporters/customers with an egregious shafting

I HATE bad information spread on the internet. I ALWAYS seek to negate it with facts no matter what the subject is. Apple just happens to get a whole lot of crap information told about it.

I hear ya. And I cannot complain with that, at all. But the loyalists defend apple by ignoring SPECIFIC situations, purposely trying to muddy the situation, calling out people for being Samsung/M$ shills, etc... then that is jsut truly pathetic. I'm not claiming you did all of these, but some? Sure.

Apple has given me so much over the 30+ yrs I have been a user I feel obligated to repay them with my support

My first Apple product was in 1979, so I may have you beat. I still LOVE my 2012 15" MBP that I upgraded to max RAM and SSD. There are 3 actively used Macs, AppleTV, 3 iPhones, and 5 old macs in the basement. I dare say that I have enjoyed the hell outta Apple. But seeing as how I paid for mine, I think Apple should kinda think of me, when making a decision.

I have benefited so much by using Apple products I want to share that opportunity with other people. If uninformed people are discouraged from enjoying Apple products because other people tell lies, I think that’s a tragedy I want to fix for them.

I have worked with Next machines and Macs exclusive for almost 20 years at one point. I still use a Mac at home for a daily driver. I've even converted multiple family members and friends over to Apple, with me being their tech support. So I have benefited from Apple/Steve and have shared my love with others. But one thing I have learned is that people REALLY DO HAVE BAD EXPERIENCES with Apple/Mac. I'm not kidding, I've actually seen it and experienced some myself. From the crap video in the 2011 MBP, to crappy batteries in iPhones, refusal to acknowledge the iPhone 6S battery issue for a LONG time, the BS "Sorry, no warranty because the moisture sensor is tripped", and the VERY crappy KEXT file debacle with the 2008 iMac that Apple NEVER fixed - https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/late-2007-imac-20-freezes-completely-random.1262891/

This KEXT thing was really bad, because it totally screwed over my mother, who is a couple states away, and I couldn't help her as much as she needed with this issue. Really sad that Apple refused to fix their KEXTs for those experiencing the issue that make the iMac unusable.

My question is, why do so many people feel the need to go out of their way to bash products they don’t buy? THAT’S pathological to me. I don’t go on forums for Android to bash android phones. Same for Windows PCs, Samsung products (although I own a few and could tell tales of bad experiences). It’s so WEIRD to be pathologically hateful of products you have never owned. I just don’t get it and never will

I think the real question is why do people go out of their way to shout down people who are experiencing issues with Apple products? Defending a flaw, belittling someone with troubles, calling them shills, heck outright calling people liars. Apple has done some shady things with refusal to acknowledge issues at all or as longs as they could without really hurting their brand. This is only one of them. But I guess you already knew that, as you seem quite adept at attempting to defend Apple from every aspect of this issue, because you've had lots of opportunities to practice, over the years.

Again, I'm not saying YOU do all of these things, but you certainly do some.

 

[Phonephreak]

So you've run benchmarks and determined it's slow? You're biased now, but I'm curious if your real world performance has actually decreased meaningfully. Remember, benchmarks by definition but huge load on processing and WILL be throttled based on Apple's own statement.

Again, batteries of today aren't perfect and Apple at least addresses random shut downs which Samsung never did. The 6S is technically a 2+ year old phone, so perhaps the battery sat too long. See if you can get Apple to replace it?

My whole point was that Apple at least did something. The EXACT problem I had with my Note resulted in constant forced shut downs after battery was 50%.

Why do you consistently try to change this subject to Samsung. This is all on Apple.

 

[Leomon84]

It is common knowledge how a chip works. The max frequency is, in part, dependent on the operating voltage. If you allow it to run at a higher voltage it will switch faster and, for two reasons, draw more power. With a larger battery you could both run at a higher voltage and sustain more power drain while allowing the same run time. Until the battery degrades and you're forced again to choose between throttling and restarts.

Yes, thinness is one trade off being made. So is features, heat, performance, run time, cost, weight, form factor, robustness to environment, product life, communications speed, etc, etc, etc... You can't change one without changing them all. Apple chose an optimization point. Maybe you don't like the optimization point they chose, but to then claim that it's easy to make a single change and not having done so is a willful failure is either disingenuous or shows a lack of understanding of the complexity of a design like this.

Oh, and fwiw: I don't use a case.

The question is why cant the battery offer the nominal voltage required for max frequency? It should always be able to provide that unless it was sized incorrectly. Its a given. Hence my point. And no not higher voltage, a CPU is designed to operate at lets say 5V you cant expect to stick 10V on it and think it will go faster. Its gonna get hot pretty quick. There are side effects.. no one overclocks phones because of heat issues

The battery should always be able to deliver the nominal voltage to operate the CPU at the designed speed. If it cant, it was designed incorrectly. Battery degradation must be taken into account, if its not like now you have stupid stuff like throttling the CPU a year in. For a thousand dollars thats pretty crappy wouldnt you agree??

And yes, the Iphone like all other phones are a packaged design. Where every component is tied in with another in a tiny little space. But the statement can still be made that the batteries are undersized because your throttling a year in. That statement is valid. Whether it was an engineering decision or marketing decision we will never know. Your point of it being a packaged complex product is not a counter point to this.

 

[Arty6]

Replacement battery from Apple is $80. Filing fees in small claims court are probably $100.

Perfect case for some lawyer to do a class action lawsuit.

A lawsuit for what? Keeping my phone from unexpectedly dying when the processor wants to draw more power than is available? Using batteries that aren't magic and have to conform to the laws of physics?

 

[Act3]

A lawsuit for what? Keeping my phone from unexpectedly dying when the processor wants to draw more power than is available? Using batteries that aren't magic and have to conform to the laws of physics?

already filed

 

[Baseballdad]

What's the best recommended app for testing battery health?

It’s called Lirum Info Lite. Very good device product as well. Specifically checks battery health under “tools” then “battery”. Free app in Apple store.

 

[Count Blah]

Nope. Totally the opposite. The longer they can keep an old iPhone running due to software optimizations (instead of scary sudden shutdowns due to a normally aging battery), the less often batteries get replaced, thus lowering total environmental impact over time.

Or the more disposable the phone becomes, in it's entirely, when a simple battery would have kept the device running for a while longer.

Which is environmentally friendly - producing two phones or one phone and one additional battery?

 

[Phonephreak]

Just curious, does anyone know how Samsung or other Android manufacturers deal with this battery issue?

They use a slightly thicker battery and don’t have this problem.

 

[Baseballdad]

For out of warranty customers, Apple offers a battery replacement service, with the company charging $79 for a battery replacement plus $6.95 in shipping or you can upgrade your phone and sign another 2yr contract like Apple wants you to do or they would not be messing with it in the first place this stinks Apple and you should not be allowed to do this I think this could end up in a class action suit .

This is my last Apple phone. I think this is total BS!

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

That's because Android mobile phones typically use lower performance CPU cores than do iPhones. If you prefer that trade-off (a CPU that's slow even when the battery is brand new) go ahead and buy an Android phone.

That doesn't even make sense. CPU cores are not constantly set to the same speed. And the specific cores that are meant to kick in at high freqs are not even used most of the time with everyday usage. Otherwise batteries of all devices would drain quickly.

Benchmarks basically show max capabilities. But in real world usage, you might have a Android device running cores at higher freqs than the iPhone with a more powerful A11, and vice versa. All depending on the apps, OS, and manufacturer.

So Apple must be doing some serious throttling for people to notice slow downs of just normal usage.

 

[Act3]

That doesn't even make sense. CPU cores are not constantly set to the same speed. And the specific cores that are meant to kick in at high freqs are not even used most of the time with everyday usage.

Benchmarks basically show max capabilities. But in real world usage, you might have a Android device running cores at higher freqs than the iPhone with a more powerful A11, and vice versa. All depending on the apps, OS, and manufacturer.

So Apple must be doing some serious throttling for people to notice slow downs of just normal usage.

1848 MHz to 600 MHz is pretty significant throttling IMO

 

[KingslayerG5]

Sony was known to do this with the Sony timer, so it is not surprising. Then again, I don't view Sony the way I used to like the way they were before 20-30 years ago.

I just don't like how Apple finally admitted it and will continue to throttle down their phones. The degraded battery reason is as asinine as Schiller saying an iPad Pro can replace a MacBook.

#lostrespect
#losttrust
#nohonor

Like what DJ (Benicio del Toro) said in The Last Jedi.

"It's all a machine, partner. Live free, don't join."

They're all crooks whether the OEM or the carriers. Don't trust any of them. This planned obsolescence theory has been around for years. Apple finally got caught red-handed.

I have owned 15 different brands of phones. All the same nonsense to me. Cycle. Wash, rinse, repeat.

 

[trifid]

It's doubtful that your "many" is actually a large number. iFixit is a tiny company relative to Apple, and would not be if every iPhone customer was having them replace batteries. And stock analysts only report a small uptick, if any, in the percentage of Apple's customers upgrading per quarter, as that would significantly affect AAPL financials.

The typical customer not only bears it, but sticks with Apple at roughly the same rate as with prior products.

This appears to be yet another case of macrumors whiners stuck in an echo chamber and deluding themselves. Just like they did when demanding a PowerBook G5, or external antenna for an iPhone 4, or else Apple would go bankrupt.

Ifixit is only one source of parts, there many others.

 

[Ledsteplin]

This only is done on phones with degrading worn batteries. It's to help those phones run as well as possible. I still use my 6s Plus I got September 25, 2015. I'm a heavy user. I haven't noticed any slowdown at all. What Apple has done is a good thing. It's been blown way out of proportion. Besides, most users upgrade every year or two. If your battery is that worn, and experiences the slowdown, just get a new battery. Then no more slowdown.

 

[Aydy]

FACTS!!! I never had and official update or custom update slow any Android device I've had. And I've had tons.

I have to agree with this. In my experience android do not offer updates past a 2 or 3 year cycle and although users bemoan this, it is imho for the best. At the point of a final update from Samsung my device has always been left running at its peak performance. I love this approach as I would much prefer my phone be running at its best ever than be forced through updates the hardware may struggle with. It will still continue receiving security patches but just will not be eligible for the latest system update.

I would love Apple to implement something similar as I don’t feel the jump from one iOS to another offers much in the way of features and/or improvement.

Also android does have the custom rom/root option, should a user want the latest and greatest software in place at which point is fully down to the owner of the device’s discretion and not the manufacturer. It may void warranty but is good that the manufacturers of android devices do not stand in the way of this. And also is fully reversible should a user need the warranty ;o

 

[bpwoods7]

Once again, nothing untoward here, even though many chose to jump on the Apple conspiracy bandwagon.

What's the conspiracy? That they are slowing down the phone so you have to buy a new one? Is that even debatable now that Apple admits this?

 

[ArneK]

Where could you have possibly drawn that conclusion based on this article? Apparently we can just make things up and pull numbers out of thin air. YES a WEEK after buying your iPhone it will perform HALF as fast or have half the power or whatever you meant to say. That's why people buy iPhones. It's their genius business model. "half the power in one week!" Its in all the commercials. It's the key to their success! Talk about blowing things out of proportion. God forbid apple (and everyone else by the way) use batteries that conform to the laws of physics.

Weird that these laws of physics only started applying when iPhone 6 came out. Are you saying Apple invented these laws of physics? They should have advertised it then as a great feature!

 

[firewood]

Sad thing is $40 disposable 2013 phones last longer.

My 2001 candy bar phone lasted over a week on a single charge. I don't see anybody using those any more. The consumer base has spoken with their wallets.