Apple Being Sued for 'Purposefully Slowing Down Older iPhone Models' [Updated]

[Kmart9419]

so you rather have your iPhone restart 10x a day? Awesome.

Also, if you don't want your iPhone to slow down, pay the $70 for a new battery install.... its like saying... "I drove my car 100K miles and now my transmission just stopped working. PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE!! They just want me to buy a new car. Instead, my car should last forever."

Yes, let it shutdown 10x. You will know that a new battery is necessary.

Get faster by replacing battery? Sure, absolutely. Only problem is Apple didn’t tell anybody that the battery was the reason your phone is so slow. If the phone is so slow, why would I want to shell out money for the battery, best to replace the whole thing. Ingenious Apple, ingenious.

 

[147798]

Apple may not fix it for you because, despite the iOS detection and throttling, their separate diagnostic software says the battery is fine. In that scenario, geniuses are told to refuse battery service to the customer.

The next logical step is would you trust a third party to install a safe battery instead of Apple? I would not.

Apple did my battery when it was green, though I talked to them about this issue and the tech was intrigued, so maybe he made an exception??

 

[Act3]

If you bring in a phone with a faulty battery, they fix it. The car isn’t gonna fix itself.

agreed, but who takes a phone that is running slow in for a battery replacement? Most think they need a faster phone to run the latest iOS.

 

[ani4ani]

In America, it’s only a one year warranty. What Apple did was fix an issue with older degraded batteries to allow the phone to continue to operate. Seems like you’re just making broad assumptions based on a number of users with a bad battery.

Even in the USA there is what is known as Latent Defect liability, in so much if it were established that there was a design flaw from the outset, then the consumer always has recourse. Apple would still like to hide a design flaw if they could (if one existed). Anyhow, it is an expectation that batteries have a 1000 charge and discharge cycle....Apple would like that milestone to be achieved also.....you can go on and on, but basically Apple was / is trying to extend the “life”of the phone beyond their liabilities, that is, they are trying to extend the life of the phone for no one but themselves. Anyone who thinks otherwise is simply naive!
.

 

[dumastudetto]

The issue prior is the battery showed green, and Apple said everything was OK (I talked to several techs before this stuff started coming out last week). I since replaced my battery, and my iP6 is working again. They need to adjust the battery to "poor performance" and let me know I need to replace it.

Yes this is the worst part of all this as I see it. I have no problem with what Apple is doing to prevent shutdowns, but then telling customers their battery doesn't qualify for service is very poor. It's something I would expect from a low margin android smartphone maker. Apple will fix this I am sure, and hopefully within weeks and not months.

 

[Act3]

Okay so if this was happening, I would get my battery fixed. Why not do that?

I did do that, but I would have never know why it was running slow until this "news" broke out about it a couple weekends ago.

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/11/alleged-throttling-old-iphones-battery-controversy/

 

[Abazigal]

Yes, let it shutdown 10x. You will know that a new battery is necessary.

Get faster by replacing battery? Sure, absolutely. Only problem is Apple didn’t tell anybody that the battery was the reason your phone is so slow. If the phone is so slow, why would I want to shell out money for the battery, best to replace the whole thing. Ingenious Apple, ingenious.

How many people would legitimately think that random shutdowns would imply a faulty battery and not something else that is wrong with the phone? It only seems obvious after the fact, doesn’t it?

 

[dumastudetto]

Apple did my battery when it was green, though I talked to them about this issue and the tech was intrigued, so maybe he made an exception??

Yes Apple geniuses can and do make exceptions on occasions, but it shouldn't require a genius being willing to go above official company policy. It is pot luck whether you will meet the right person on the right day at the right time willing to do what the system says they should not do. Apple needs to fix this to align their diagnostics with whatever iOS is doing to detect a problem battery. This way everyone will get a great customer service experience.

 

[teknikal90]

The iPhone carries the same 1000 cycle rating. They're not going to make batteries user serviceable ever. They need to rectify this situation but it's not about the quality of cells at all.

500 cycles actually. So half. https://www.apple.com/ca/batteries/service-and-recycling/

that's the issue.
watch = 1000 cycles
ipod = 400
ipad = 1000

 

[Act3]

How many people would legitimately think that random shutdowns would imply a faulty battery and not something else that is wrong with the phone? It only seems obvious after the fact, doesn’t it?

to be fair, random shutdowns would probably result in a trip to the Apple store to allow them to diagnose the problem. Which then would be diagnosed as a faulty battery and the user would be repaired for $79 and be on their merry way with a perfectly functioning phone

 

[JosephAW]

Apple just allow users to downgrade to the iOS that the device originally came with. So simple.

 

[Kmart9419]

Chances are if you have an android device, you never get updates at all. And if you're the extra special owner of an LG Nexus device, the Snapdragon SoC fails entirely and leaves you with a brick at the 1-2 year mark. Google Nexus 5x bootloop if you don't believe me. Where there would be an outrage in the Apple world barely merits a shrug in disposable Android land where you're expected to replace your phone every 6 months anyway.

I use to think androids got **** on with the lack of updates, but that’s really a blessing in disguise. Apple updates eventually turn your devices into slow ass bricks. So wish I could downgrade iOS.

 

[Abazigal]

to be fair, random shutdowns would probably result in a trip to the Apple store to allow them to diagnose the problem. Which then would be diagnosed as a faulty battery and the user would be repaired for $79 and be on their merry way with a perfectly functioning phone

If the battery didn’t register as faulty when your iPhone was being throttled, why would it suddenly register as problematic in your earlier scenario?

 

[dumastudetto]

Apple just allow users to downgrade to the iOS that the device originally came with. So simple.

It is not simple because old versions have security vulnabilties.

 

[DNichter]

People who have this particular problem have been refused battery replacement from Apple because apparently Apple tests aren’t picking up this particular issue. Batteries reporting themselves still at over 80% life left, yet can’t supply necessary voltage aren’t being accepted. Even for some paying customers.

Oh I didn’t hear that. Is there an article?

 

[KJ01]

the easiest solution would be to continue to provide software updates for existing iOS releases, rather than forcing users to update to the latest & greatest iOS to receive bug fixes and security patches. that gives people the choice to upgrade, receive newer features, and accept the performance loss, or stay with the existing iOS, receive only security patches, and continue to get the performance of the device, as purchased.

Since when Apple started giving options? Wishful thinking.

 

[djlythium]

Users: “why you slow our phones down?!”

Apple: “your battery can’t hold the charge necessary for some tasks. We want you to use your phone for longer.”

Users: “can you believe Apple just wants us to buy more phones?! Let’s sue!!”

This, for sure. I think Apple is in the right, here, and would win such a class-action.

 

[dumastudetto]

From a pr standpoint, the press fallout could get ugly. It all depends on how much average joe and susie want to educate themselves on the facts, versus reading yahoo typed headline writer biased junk mail.

That's the problem most people will have no interest in the finer details, they'll just see the headlines and those are damaging for Apple.

 

[DNichter]

The issue prior is the battery showed green, and Apple said everything was OK (I talked to several techs before this stuff started coming out last week). I since replaced my battery, and my iP6 is working again. They need to adjust the battery to "poor performance" and let me know I need to replace it.

I didn’t see that anywhere. This was a widespread issue? I didn’t know the batteries tested fine.

 

[Cartaphilus]

About time. What they are doing is highly unethical. Their involvement with my property stops after payment.

Yeah, go join the class action suit! Five years from now you will get a swell coupon for 5% any Apple product, and the lawyers will thank you for their $2.3 million fee award--best case. More likely, the court will grant summary judgment to Apple against the plaintiffs and their lawyers who obviously have no more understanding of what Apple has done technically (and why) than they have of the law. So right after this class action is settled, Apple will promptly announce that it is discontinuing it's practice, which will immediately trigger a class action suit from all the owners of iPhones with aged batteries who are outraged that they bought a defective product that Apple knew was about to shut down and didn't so much as lift a finger to avoid the disaster. Next there will be a vast class action lawsuit demanding damages for Apple's failure to give any notice whatsoever that their battery was in need of replacement, or adequate notice that batteries they place in iPhones turn out to be incapable of holding a full charge forever.

By the way, that a company is "highly unethical" is not a recognized cause of action, and Apple's involvement with your iPhone obviously doesn't stop when you pay for it. You have a warrany, tech support, the app store, iTunes, and iOS updates which, one day, won't be compatible with your obsolete iPhone. The iOS is what actually defines the utility of your phone, let alone "involvement".

 

[DNichter]

Apple may not fix it for you because, despite the iOS detection and throttling, their separate diagnostic software says the battery is fine. In that scenario, geniuses are told to refuse battery service to the customer.

The next logical step is would you trust a third party to install a safe battery instead of Apple? I would not.

Well yea, if the battery says it’s fine then you’d have no idea. I wasn’t aware of this.

 

[LordVic]

Oh I didn’t hear that. Is there an article?

Not yet.

There were a few users in the other massive thread who reported that it happened to them.


I think we’re still. Very early in this situation unfolding.

But overall, a battery replacement program for affected units would be the best solution for everyone.

 

[Act3]

If the battery didn’t register as faulty when your iPhone was being throttled, why would it suddenly register as problematic in your earlier scenario?

I'm confused what you are asking but phone was running 911 Mhz , took it in, they said battery had seen the end of its useful life or something, replaced it and I was on my way with with my phone running at 1848 Mhz.

 

[Abazigal]

the easiest solution would be to continue to provide software updates for existing iOS releases, rather than forcing users to update to the latest & greatest iOS to receive bug fixes and security patches. that gives people the choice to upgrade, receive newer features, and accept the performance loss, or stay with the existing iOS, receive only security patches, and continue to get the performance of the device, as purchased.

So basically you want Apple to spread their software team even more thinly by essentially having them maintain 4-5 different versions of iOS at any one time?

 

[KJ01]

Hate to urinate in your chips, but battery technology is consistent between all manufacturers and it sucks.

Pure Android Google phones runs fast even after several years. Google isnt' throttling their devices.